Doomsday my way
by chuckfanDOC
Summary: AU from bride. I just thought that one of the greatest villians in Superman's history deserved a little more than a 10 second fight. The JL and Clark have a life and death battle with the greatest evil any of them had ever known.
1. Prologue

**This is my first Smallville fic. I wrote this shortly after the Doomsday episode, but was nervous to post it. It is about the best fictional male and female characters ever written (Clark Kent and Lois Lane). It doesn't matter what incarnation I have always loved those characters. Anyway I figured what the heck, so here it is. **

**Spoilers: up to Bride then AU from there. **

**As much as it is up for debate who owns Superman, it is definitely not me.**

**I also don't own "Bad Medicine." Bon Jovi does.**

**Prologue**

_Your love is like bad medicine_  
_Bad medicine is what I want_

_Wow ow oh_

_Shake it up just like bad medicine_

_There ain't no doctor that can_

_Cure my disease…_

A woman's hand haphazardly felt around the floor next to a blue waiting room chair in search of the ringing cell phone. Upon finding the phone the woman flipped her messed hair out of her face and answered the phone without noticing either the caller ID or the personalized ring tone.

"Hello?" the woman's voice cracked betraying the fact that she had been sleeping only seconds before.

Although she had merely answered the phone to end the noise that had woken her, she instantly sat up fully awake upon realizing who was on the other end of the line.

"Clark? Is that you? Your are breaking up."

"Yeah Lois, it's me. Sorry my phone isn't getting very good reception right now." Clark said as he stood knee deep in snow.

"You know, for as flat as Smallville is, you would think you would be able to get a decent signal just about anywhere, but NOOO Hicksville can't even get that right."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Clark nervously chuckled, playing along as he looked around at the snowy scenery of the Canadian Yukon. He had chosen this point to stop as it was probably the last place en route to the Fortress that he would have any reception at all on his cell phone.

Lois was unnerved at the fact that Clark had failed to take the bait as she verbally assaulted his home town. "What's wrong Smallville? You haven't heard anything about Chloe have you? Because if you have and you are not telling me I swear…"

"No Lois," Clark interrupted her mid-rant. "I haven't found out anything about Chloe. Oliver has been pulling every string he can but we haven't heard anything yet." Clark softened a little before adding, "I promise that I will tell you as soon as I know anything."

Lois let out a relieved sigh. She was certainly hoping that Chloe would be found soon, but the way in which that…_thing _had taken her really caused Lois to fear the worst. "You better…I mean…thanks. I know you will. I'm just a little… you know." Lois's voice also softened as she spoke.

"Yeah I know." Clark responded understandingly.

Lois, never being very good at awkward silences, only allowed a few quiet seconds to pass before pressing on with the conversation. "So is there any other reason you called, or did you just miss me too much to bear?" Her heart skipped a beat as she asked this. It was not that long ago when Lois could rely on this sort of teasing banter with Clark to break any tense moments or fill any awkward silences, however now she was having a much harder time doing so. She found, instead, that she would jokingly ask this sort of question only to find herself longing to have Clark tell her that he did in fact miss her.

"Yes…I mean yes there was a reason…for me calling." Clark was stumbling trying to recover from his verbal slip. Truth be told, he did miss Lois very much. "I, um, was ah calling to check on Jimmy. How is he doing?"

Lois was slightly disappointed by Clark's answer, although listening to him bumbling through his flustered response made her smile. "The doctors say he is going to be okay. He hasn't woken up yet, but that may be a good thing for right now. He is going to be one hurtin' puppy when he wakes up. All in all though, he is steadily improving."

"That is good to hear." Clark sighed, genuinely relieved. A few more quiet seconds passed, before Clark continued. "How are you holding up?" he asked slowly.

"Me? I am fine," Lois responded with the false bravado that Clark had heard her resort to on countless occasions. "Besides the fact that these hospital chairs are incredibly uncomfortable and I am quite certain that the food in the hospital may be as lethal as that monster…" Lois quickly stopped talking as a glazed look overtook her eyes. She had seen a lot of strange things since she first visited Smallville, but this had been different. She had just watched some sort of monster pluck her cousin from amongst all the other guests at the wedding, in the process completely flipping Lois' world upside down. The Lois that had an insatiable need for answers, suddenly found herself in the middle of a horror movie in which there were no answers to be found.

Clark knew that this had been hard on Lois and wished that he could be there for her, or better yet explain everything to her, but for right now he needed to focus on finding Chloe. "Lois…I should be going. I have someone that I think might be able to help us find Chloe, but I won't have cell service for a while. I just wanted to say…take care of your self."

As usual Lois could tell that Clark wasn't telling her the whole story. However, as she and Clark had grown closer over time she had come to know that there was never anything malicious behind Clark's secrets. If there was anyone alive that she felt she could trust it was Clark Kent. "Don't worry about me. You just worry about keeping your promise of finding my baby cuz," the bravado returning to her voice.

"I will," Clark said as he started to pull the phone away from his ear.

"Clark!" Lois called out trying to catch him before he hung up.

"Yeah?"

"I want you to find Chloe and bring her home safe and sound, but you better come home in one piece as well. So if you find out anything don't go trying to be a hero. After all the Daily Planet just wouldn't be the same without its best copyboy," Lois said as her eyes filled with tears.

Though her words were teasing, the sincerity of her message was not missed. Clark just nodded to himself and softly replied, "I'll see you soon," before flipping his phone shut.

Lois sat in the chair looking at Jimmy lying in his bed. She was holding her phone against her chest as a few rebellious tears rolled down her cheeks. In that moment she experienced an overwhelming feeling of dread. Despite the fact that that monster had already nearly killed Jimmy and had taken her cousin, Clark was out there doing everything in his power to track down that very _THING_ when most sane people would be running in the opposite direction. Although she had teased Clark numerous times about not being brave enough when they were chasing a story, she knew that there was nothing he would not do to protect the people he cared about. She thought of him running into the basement that the Jeweler had held them in without any regard for his own safety. He may not have pulled off the heroic rescue on that occasion but he had been willing to risk himself to save her. As she sat there quietly sobbing, she could only hope that he would not be hurt or worse trying to do the same for Chloe.

**A/N: I would really appreciate your comments. I should be posting a chapter every couple of days. Thanks for reading my story.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Clark had heard a series of strange sightings of a large monster moving north from Smallville, so he decided to make the trip to the fortress without the aid of the portal. This would give him an opportunity to check into some of the sightings as he went. At first he thought it was merely a coincidence that the sightings seemed to be headed in the same direction as the fortress. However, the further he went the more certain he became that he and Doomsday were heading to the same destination. He had stopped to call Lois just outside of the last small town that actually had cell phone reception, and was now making his way across a vast sea of ice and snow. The air held an ominous feel which was only made worse due to the lack of sun. Though it was early in the day, the sky became darker and darker as he continued north. It was winter in the arctic meaning there would be no real sun for the next few months. He was able to see well enough for most of the trip due to the faint moon and starlight reflecting off of the snow, not to mention the added advantage of other worldly vision.

He had slowed his pace as he neared the fortress not knowing when or if he might catch up to Doomsday. He did not want to spook the creature, unintentionally causing it to harm Chloe. That is when Clark first noticed the large tracks in the snow. Two large prints, containing the imprints of many bony protrusions, sunk deep into the snow. Clark stared off across the snow looking for any other tracks in the snow. He spotted another set identical to the ones he had just stumbled across a few hundred yards in front of him. _The monster was able to travel so quickly by taking large jumps or strides_, Clark concluded. This answered a few of the questions Clark had been asking himself. _How had he not been able to catch Doomsday? Was he able to fly? _

The last few miles of the trip weighed heavily on Clark. He continued to worry whether he would be in time to save his friend, but he also began to feel the strangest sensation that something was a miss. The tracks in the snow were no longer hundreds of yards apart. Instead the creature seemed to have settled into walking, leaving a steady trail directly towards the fortress. _How could this creature know about the fortress? Why would he bring Chloe here? Was he somehow walking into a trap? _The questions streamed through Clark's mind.

---

Lois wasn't able to fall back asleep after her conversation with Clark. Instead she took a walk to the hospital cafeteria to get a cup of coffee and a bagel, taking up her post at Jimmy's side when she finally returned. She had taken her time returning to the silence that she knew would be filling Jimmy's room. It is amazing how much that sort of silence can force you to think. Over the last few days she had spent time thinking about everything from Chloe, of course, to what that creature had been or where it could have come from. She even spent a considerable amount of time trying to formulate some sort of connection between the monster's arrival and the return of one Lana Lang, although she realized that this theory may have more to do with her surprisingly strong feelings of resentment towards the petite woman showing up just when things with Clark were getting interesting than any actual connection to the creature.

That led her to the other topic she had had more than enough time to ponder, Clark Kent. Yes, she knew she had fallen for him. Hell, she even admitted such to Oliver. Normally, if she were hurt by someone she would write them off, push them from her life, and convince her self (or at least try) that it had never even happened or that she was better of without them. That is what she would _NORMALLY_ do. Why was it so hard to even imagine such a thing with Clark? At first she thought that it was different because she worked with him and knew that she was going to have to see him everyday. That would make pushing him out of her life nearly impossible. Well maybe that and the fact that he had also become her best friend over the past few months. Yeah that was it. She didn't want to lose him so much because his friendship meant so much to her. And there it was, staring straight at her, so clear that she could no longer avoid the truth. She didn't want to lose him because HE meant so much to her. Her feelings for him had eclipsed anything she had ever felt for another person. AAUUGGHH! She moaned as she dropped her head into her hands, with even less of an idea of what to do than she had had previously.

---

Clark slowly crept into the fortress, cautiously peering around every corner. He knew that Doomsday was here. He had circled the fortress looking for any tracks that the beast would have left upon leaving. The only signs of life he saw besides his own tracks were those the monster had made going into the icy structure. Clark was filled with anxiety at knowing that Chloe was also inside. _Was she even still alive? What did Doomsday even want with her? Would he be able to stop Doomsday and still protect Chloe?_ Again Clark's mind raced. He stopped and looked hard at the icy walls in front of him, able to see through them and into the large opening at the center of the fortress. There standing in the middle of the white cavern was Doomsday holding Chloe in his arms. The blonde was looking lovingly up at Doomsday, her hand placed softly on the side of the beast's boney face. Listening hard Clark could hardly believe what he heard. "It is just the two of us now," Chloe spoke softly without even a trace of fear in her voice.

A whole new set of questions filled Clark's mind as he quickly and quietly made his way between the icy columns, getting closer to Chloe. _This could not be right. He must not be seeing and hearing her correctly_. He needed to see and hear Chloe without the use of his powers.

Clark turned the final corner bringing the couple into view. His mind raced trying to understand what was happening as his confusion only grew. The once rampaging monster gently placed Chloe on her feet in front of him. _That thing must have some sort of control over her mind._ There was no time left. He needed to get Chloe away from that monster as soon as possible.

As quietly as he could Clark reached for the closest column of ice and crystal, breaking a small chunk off. Standing slightly, but staying out of sight, Clark prepared himself. He tossed the small chunk of ice behind some columns to Doomsday's left. When the creature turned and snarled in that direction Clark super-sped through the center of the room, grabbing Chloe in the process. By the time Doomsday had turned back around, Clark had Chloe hidden safely behind another icy wall with his hand gently over her mouth to keep her from screaming. Unfortunately he was not able to get her all the way out of the fortress.

Chloe cast a surprised look up at Clark, who smiled warmly at her and slowly took his hand from her mouth. Chloe smiled in return, but her smile was not one of relief. The warm friendly smile that Chloe had always shown him was now replaced with a cold almost sinister smirk.

"Chloe are you okay," Clark whispered worry dripping from his words.

"Of course...I mean, now I am," the chilling smirk did not change as Chloe stared at Clark.

"Are you sure?" Clark's voice did not lose any of the concern it had held. "I mean you have been through a lot, and the way you were acting with that monster..."

"I said I am fine Kal-el," Chloe snapped as she looked in the direction of the now roaring beast.

_Kal-el? Chloe never called him by his Kryptonian name_, Clark thought. And then he saw it, deep in her eyes, the cold calculating look that he had seen before, the look that only came from a machine.

"Brainiac," he breathed. The words slipping out as a ghost of a whisper before he could think better of it.

Any act that the machine had been putting on vanished. Brainiac caused Chloe to stand to her full height, the smirk turning into a full bone shaking grin. "Took you long enough. I really don't know how you have continued to be a thorn in my side with that feeble mind of yours."

"But...I thought...,"

"You thought wrong Kal-el," Brainiac yelled. "You will never be able to defeat me. Especially since this time I am not alone." Brainiac pointed over Clark's left shoulder causing him to turn. He only caught a glimpse of Doomsday, whom had heard Brainiac when he raised Chloe's voice, before the creature hit him across the jaw with a backhand. The force of the blow knocked Clark to the icy ground, where he landed on all fours. His lips split from the force of the impact resulting in a small stream of blood that stained the pure white floor beneath him. The surprise of the blow combined with the pain it caused dazed Clark and prevent him from protecting himself from the creature's next fearsome blow, a kick to the abdomen that sent Clark airborne across the large opening in the center of the fortress, his momentum carrying him hard into the wall opposite the monster and Chloe. The force of his collision with the wall cracked the icy structure causing a few of the crystal columns throughout the fortress to come crashing to the floor. Clark's body limply slid down the wall landing in a heap.

The monster quickly closed the distance between them. Upon reaching Clark's prone form the creature lifted its bony foot over Clark's rib cage stomping down hard on the exposed area. The air in Clark's lungs could be heard rushing between his lips in a long groan. Again the creature raised its foot before driving it into Clark's torso a second time. The last air in Clark's chest came out as a cough bringing with it bright red blood that laid in a puddle next to Clark's open mouth. The thunderous blows had also cracked the icy floor beneath Clark and caused more of the icy columns to come crashing down.

One large piece of falling ice struck Doomsday across his shoulders only infuriating the beast further. Reaching down the creature grabbed Clark by his ankle an in one motion flung him once more into the wall. Again Clark slid down the wall, this time landing on his side with his back against the icy wall.

His impact with the wall seemed to prove too much for the crystal and ice to take. The ice was now falling at an alarming rate creating wholes in the ceiling. Many of the once smooth columns landed in sharp jagged piles along the expanse of the floor. The ominous glow that had emanated from the crystals flickered as the life began to fade from the fortress. At the center of the room what looked like a pulpit of small crystals flickered again. This, the main control center of the fortress, was failing. A dark black liquid streamed down from the crystals as Brainiac had been forced to leave the fortress in which he had inhabited ever since being extracted from Chloe in the previous weeks.

The Brainiac controlled Chloe had remained standing off to the side of the battle, cheerfully watching as Doomsday slowly beat the life from Clark Kent. However, as the black liquid completely evacuated the crystals Brainiac lost his control over the short blonde, causing her to fall to the ground confused and disoriented. It took a few moments for Chloe to realize where she was and what was going on. The crash of a large piece of ice landing only feet from her head caused her mind to clear in sudden alertness. It was then that she saw a large bony monster walking towards a badly beaten Clark. She was unable to suppress an anguished cry as the realization of the situation set in.

Hearing the cry Doomsday turned to see Chloe staggering to her feet. The shaking of the ground as the fortress collapsed around them was not helping her in her efforts. The creature temporarily forgot about Clark and turned to walk towards the human with whom he had fallen in love. However, he stopped dead in his tracks when the women screamed in fright and cast a desperate glance at the bloody body of his foe. The rejection caused his temper to rage as he re-concentrated his efforts on killing the so called last son of Krypton.

The sound of a shrill scream pulled Clark from the darkness that was threatening to overtake him. Although Clark's vision was blurred from the blood and sweat that trickled from his brow into his eyes, he was able to make out the two figures on the other side of the room. As the large bony figure of Doomsday began lumbering across the distance separating them, Clark dragged himself into a seated position and then to his knees. He was unable to make it to his feet before Doomsday had reached him, however he was in a much better position to protect himself. Doomsday clasped his hands together and reached over his head. With a loud roar, he brought his clenched hands downward in a chopping motion. In the last possible instance Clark raised his hands above his head and caught the creature's arms, one arm in each hand. The energy required to stop the downward force of Doomsday's bony claws caused Clark's arms to shake in effort. Gathering as much of his strength as he could, Clark shifted one of his legs so that he was now kneeling on one knee. From there he slowly raised himself, standing in front of the creature. Doomsday was much taller than Clark which gave the beast the advantage as Clark struggled to maintain his hold on the creature's arms. Clark knew that his strength would not hold out for much longer so he peered around the area immediately surrounding them for anyway of defeating the monster in front of him. The only thing in the area was a pile of crystals that had fallen from the ceiling lying just behind Doomsday. Their clear smooth surfaces were broken into long sharp edges. Immediately Clark knew what he had to do. Looking hard into the creatures eyes Clark let loose a blast of blazing heat from his eyes causing the beast to roar in pain and grab for its eyes. As soon as Doomsday had focused its attention on its eyes Clark lowered his shoulder into the beast's abdomen and drove him towards the jagged ice. The cry of pain that came from the beast sounded more like an injured animal than the roar of a ferocious killer as the long shard of ice pierced the beast's back, sliding all the way through leaving him pinned to the pile of ice. Blood dripped from the tip of the ice protruding from the beast's chest. The ice had become hardened when arranged as a Kryptonian crystal.

Clark fell to his knees as he watched Doomsday heave its final breath. When the creature was no longer moving, Clark fell forward onto his stomach, every once of energy now spent in stopping the murderous beast. As his mind gave into the darkness he thought he heard someone calling his name, but he could no longer fight the shadows that overtook him.

---

Chloe watched in horror, paralyzed in fear, as the beast tried to strike Clark. Then, before she knew what was happening, the creature cried out in pain reaching for its eyes. Clark dropped his shoulder into the beast and pushed him back onto a pile of crystals. Another awful cry came from the monster and it was over. It was dead. A wave of relief washed over Chloe until she watched as Clark collapsed to the blood spattered ground. She was on her feet and running towards him in the blink of an eye, calling his name as she ran, but he did not respond. In fact, he did not even move. Chloe cried aloud as she reached down to the seemingly lifeless body of her friend. Ice continued to fall around them, but Chloe hardly even noticed. She rocked quietly back and forth as she sobbed holding Clark against her.

Again the ominous glow of the crystals flickered, drawing Chloe's attention. "Jor-El! Jor-El! Clark needs your help!," She cried out as she desperately searched the icy falls for any sort of response.

Finally after a few moments had passed a deep stern voice echoed through the crumbling ice, "Chloe Sullivan, do not despair Clark is not yet dead, though his condition is dire. He has depleted his energy reserves and must be exposed to the yellow sun."

"Can't you heal him?" although Chloe was relieved to hear that Clark was alive her voice still held a hint of panic.

"The fortress has been damaged beyond that point. Instead I will try to transport you to Clark's earthly home," Chloe tightened her grip on Clark as the two of them were engulfed in a blinding white light.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: thanks for the comments. I really do appreciate them. This is a little bit longer chapter for me. Hope you like it. I think I will be sticking to the chapter everyday for the next couple days. My internet has been weird at home, so if I don't post that my internet must have gone down again. Again no Beta so let me know if the grammar is too much to take. **

**Chapter 2**

Lois had remained in Jimmy's room all morning and into the early part of the afternoon and could not take the silence any longer. Finding her phone she dialed a familiar number and placed the phone to the side of her head.

"Lois please don't tell me they kicked you out of the hospital again," Oliver's voice was light and sarcastic.

"No! funny man. In fact the nursing staff and I seem to be getting along just fine now," Lois retorted indignantly.

"They are probably just afraid of bodily harm if they make you angry again," he snorted.

"Hey, Helga had it coming. My cousin in-law is lying in the hospital nearly cut in half and she wants to give me crap about visiting hours," Lois' temper was beginning to build more so out of the need to vent her frustrations than at the long forgotten argument with the nurse.

Oliver, sensing that Lois was about to go into a tirade of epic proportions, cut her off, "Lois how is Jimmy?"

"What? Oh...Ah, Jimmy is doing better. He is still out like a light, but, like I told Clark, that is probably a good thing for right now," Lois steadily calmed as she looked back at Jimmy.

"You spoke to Clark?" Oliver asked with a hint of urgency in his voice.

"Yeah, earlier this morning," Lois answered confused by the sudden change in topic. "He said he knew of someone that might be able to help us find Chloe. He was on his way there when he called."

"Did he say where this person was?" Oliver asked trying unsuccessfully to hide the growing tension in his voice.

"No he just said that he was going to be out of cell service for a while. What is going on Ollie? Is Clark in danger or something?" Lois had the beginnings of panic in her voice.

"I am sure that Clark is fine," Oliver tried to cover. "I have just been trying to reach him all morning and his phone kept going straight to voicemail."

"Well what was so important that you nearly had a coronary when he didn't call you back? No wait! Don't tell me... I am not the only one who has a soft spot for the farm boy's charms," Lois chuckled though not really relaxing the tension in her tone.

"Um..." Oliver tried to quickly think of a cover for his concern, "Lana!"

"No actually it is Lois. Why is it so hard for you men to keep that straight?" Lois growled through gritted teeth, not even attempting to hide her displeasure.

"No, I was saying that I wanted to let Clark know that I helped Lana get set up in Coast City."

"Wait! What?" Lois stopped as close to speechless as she had been in quite a while.

Oliver chuckled as he imagined the expression on Lois' face. "I said, I helped Lana find a place to stay in Coast City. You know the city of the stars out west…the city where Lana has _moved_."

"Moved? As in her new place of permanent residence?" hope shown through in Lois' question causing Oliver to laugh even harder. Lois rolled her eyes and tried to play innocent. "Good to hear that she is getting out there. You know, chasing the dream," a hint of sarcasm showing through in her comment. She then waited for Oliver to calm down before pressing for an answer to the question she had been dying to ask, but refused to talk to Clark about. "Wow, she and Clark are going to try the long distance thing," she finished as if she were making idle conversation.

The fit of laughter that Oliver had just gotten over returned, "No Lois, they are not."

"What is so funny? Wait Clark isn't planning on playing house out west is he? If he is moving and he hasn't told me..." Lois' voice had raised an octave as she worked herself up again.

Normally Lois would have been at least a little more covert in hiding her feelings or the intentions of her questions. However, her current lack of sleep, frustration at the world, and what was feeling more and more like claustrophobia from the "damn hospital room" had been enough to push her well past all of that.

"Lois...you are too much," Oliver forced out as he tried to catch his breath.

"Alright enough with the laughing at Lois' expense. You know what I want to know so spill Robin Hood." If Oliver didn't know Lois so well he may have been frightened by the venom in her tone.

"First of all relax, Clark isn't moving anywhere." Lois sighed in relief even though she knew that that had been a ridiculous conclusion to jump to. "Lana is moving to get a fresh start. She and Clark, more so Clark from what Lana told me, decided that they were not meant to be. It seems like she isn't the girl for him anymore." Oliver swore he could see the gleam coming from Lois' smile through the phone. "Careful Lois a smile that loud may even wake up Jimmy."

After not getting a response for a few seconds Oliver decided it was time to go, "I've probably already said too much. It is not my place to get involved. Yuo should ask Clark about it. I am sure he can explain everything much better than I can anyway."

"Huh, Did you just say something Ollie?" Lois asked as she came out of her thoughts.

"I said bye Lois. I'll talk to you soon," Oliver laughed.

"Yeah, see ya," Lois said as she zoned out again and hung up her phone with a smile on her face.

After Oliver hung up the phone he allowed his smile to linger for just a moment before returning to the worried grimace he had been wearing all morning. It had been nice to just laugh with a friend. It hadn't happened much since Chloe's wedding. He had successfully convinced Lois that there was no need to worry about Clark. Unfortunately, now he was even more certain that there was a very good reason to fear for both Chloe and Clark's safety. He looked down at the open laptop on his desk. On it was a map marking a series of small seismic events moving progressively north. _Hang on Clark we're coming. _

---

Chloe opened her eyes only to find that she and Clark were lying in knee deep snow next to a single lane snow covered road. The sky was slightly brighter than it had been at the fortress, but was still not much brighter than twilight. Chloe slid herself over to where Clark was laying. He was still bleeding and did not respond to her when she touched his arm. _Apparently Jor-El had not been able to transport them all the way back to Smallville_, Chloe deduced. Immediately a knot of desperation built inside her chest. She needed to get help, but she didn't even know where they were. She knew that they had to be further South than the Fortress based on the slight increase in sunlight, but that was hardly enough to heal Clark before it was too late. Her nervous shaking was only made worse by the frigid temperatures and wet snow against her bare legs. Although in the back of her mind she knew she would not be able to live in these cold temperatures for long, her own safety and well-being became secondary to helping Clark. After a few seconds of thought Chloe climbed her way onto the road to see if any vehicles were within sight. While standing there she heard a faint beeping sound coming from where Clark was laying. As quickly as she could, Chloe ran back into the snow tripping and falling, landing next to Clark. After regaining her balance, she started to dig through Clark pockets, her numb fingers being very uncooperative. Finally she found Clark's phone. Pulling it out of his pocket she realized that the phone had been seriously damaged in the battle with Doomsday. She only hoped that it would still work. The caller id read Oliver Queen. Gently, Chloe folded the phone open, "Oliver you have to hurry Clark is hurt!" When she did not hear a response she looked down at the phone. The display was blank, the phone was dead. She quietly sobbed as she sat there hoping that her message had somehow gotten through.

---

Oliver was sitting in his jet with Victor, A.C., and Dinah. Everyone had been quiet the entire trip. Even Dinah who would never miss an opportunity to harass Oliver or his plans, blindly agreed to come along even though none of them had any idea where they were going or even if they were heading in the right direction. Oliver reached for the jets satellite phone, just as he had every 15 minutes prior. He dialed Clark's number expecting it to go to voicemail just as all the other calls had. He nearly fell out of his seat when a woman answered the phone. "Oli...Clar...Hurt," is all he heard.

The others on board noticed his startled expression. "What is it?" Dinah asked sliding to the edge of her seat.

"Was that Clark?" Victor chimed in.

"No...I think it was...Chloe," Oliver said more to himself than anyone else. The rest of the group sat stunned into silence. Oliver broke the silence seconds later by turning to Victor, "Trace that call. See where they are and hurry. She said something about Clark being hurt." Next Oliver picked up his phone again and after a few seconds spoke, "Bart, head north." Oliver looked expectantly at Victor who had plugged his arm into a laptop.

"Somewhere north of -------------, I would say no more than 10 miles outside of town since they had cell signal. That is all the further I can narrow it down," Victor shook his head in disappointment.

Oliver nodded and barked into the phone, "You heard that right. Chloe and Clark may be injured. Find them fast. We will be touching down in 20 minutes." He then called the pilot using the intercom and instructed him to land them at whatever airport was closest to --------------. "And if they don't give you clearance to land there then land on the nearest interstate for all I care, but get this plane on the ground!"

The rest of the group began preparing their gear as Oliver made one final call.

"Ollie you better be calling for more than just a few more laughs at my expense..." Lois' light tone was interrupted by an all business Oliver.

"Lois I need you to do something without asking questions. I know this is going to be hard but I swear it is important."

"What are you talking a..."

"Lois, just please trust me!" although Oliver's tone remained serious it now had a hint of pleading mixed in as well. "This could be life or death, and I need your help."

Lois' felt as if someone was reaching into her chest and squeezing her heart with all their strength, but just nodded her head in response, "Okay, just tell me what to do." Her voice sounded scared and much weaker than she would have ever thought possible.

"Find the doctor that worked on Jimmy. Tell him to grab anything he can carry and get to the airport immediately. He is someone I trust so if you tell him I need him and that it is an emergency, he will understand. There will be a plane waiting there for him."

"Alright," suddenly a wave of fear struck Lois as she remembered Oliver's reaction to her mention of Clark's name earlier in the day. Nearly overcome with nausea she was unable to repress her question, "Ollie..."

"Lois we don't have time," Oliver interrupted her.

"JUST TELL ME IF IT IS CLARK!" she cried into the phone.

"Lois, I...I can't really explain," his lack of denial confirmed her worst fears and all words escaped her. "Lois I promise we are doing the best we can for everyone involved, but you have to find that doctor NOW!"

Lois nodded to herself again as if Oliver could see her doing so. She did not say another word as she hung up her phone and ran from Jimmy's room.

---

Chloe held Clark's head in her lap and softly stroked his hair with her shaking hands. She had never felt this cold before. She had tried to pull Clark to the road but his large frame was too much for her to move. Instead she tried to find her healing powers somewhere deep within her, but unfortunately they were forever gone. Finally she tried to fix Clark's phone and again was unsuccessful. Realizing there was nothing she could do but hope for help from Oliver or the League; she placed Clark's head in her lap and held her friend close. Slowly the cold began to overwhelm her, her eyes being drawn closed as if she were falling asleep. Just before giving into the darkness she thought she felt one last gust of cold wind causing the snow around them to blow in all directions.

---

Bart nearly missed the two people lying in the snow, and actually had to turn around and come back to them after running past them the first time. He saw Chloe slumped over holding Clark protectively. Both were eerily still. He darted through the snow towards them causing the snow to whip around the three of them. He immediately dropped a homing beacon in the snow next to them, and then checked Chloe for a pulse. Her skin was cold and her lips were blue, but he could feel a faint pulse. He then looked down at Clark, and saw his torn and battered body. The thought of what it would have taken to do such things to the man he thought was indestructible was much more chilling than anything the Canadian weather could throw at him. He tried to feel for a pulse in Clark's neck. Nothing could be felt, but he was not sure if he would ever have been able to feel a pulse in Clark's neck. Making a snap decision Bart picked up Chloe and ran her back to the town. He knew that the cold was going to kill her if he didn't get her to some warmth fast, besides he wasn't certain that the doctors at the hospital could do anything for Clark anyway.

He was able to get Chloe to the small hospital in town in mere seconds. Two nurses came running out to meet him as he came running, at a non-superhuman pace, through the front doors. The two nurses placed Chloe on a gurney and began to wheel her into to be evaluated. As soon as he was certain Chloe was being taken care of, Bart ran as fast as he could back to where Clark was still lying in the snow. Once he was standing at Clark's side Bart pulled out his phone and dialed Oliver's number. "I got Chloe to the hospital. She is going to have some kind of hypothermia or whatever but the doctors thought she would be okay. I just got back to Clark, and man...he doesn't look so good," Bart swallowed hard as he looked down at his broken friend. "I didn't know if I should take him to the hospital or not. I doubt they are up on their Kryptonian anatomy."

"I don't think we have much of a choice. We are on the ground now and can be at the hospital in 15 minutes. How long will it take you to get him to the hospital?" Oliver's voice came over the line.

"He is pretty big so twenty maybe thirty seconds," no jokes about being the fastest man alive followed. The serious and focused tone of voice Bart was using worried Oliver.

"Give me one minute then get him there. I am calling the hospital now to arrange everything we will need." Oliver didn't wait for Bart to agree before hanging up.

Bart bent over and tried to heft Clark onto his shoulders, "Good God man, you need to lay off your mom's cooking once in a while." With all the strength he could muster Bart lifted Clark into a fireman's carry. Clark's arms and legs hung low over Bart's shoulders due to the difference in height. Bart looked at his watch, "Yeah, I am not going to stand here and hold you up any longer than I need to," and with that he was gone in a flash to the hospital.

Twenty-one seconds later Bart arrived at the same hospital that now housed Chloe. Again two nurses wheeled a gurney out to meet him. Although he was more than happy to have Clark taken from his shoulders, he stood in front of the gurney not allowing them to pass. "I don't know how to explain this but we need to take him to a private room immediately."

"Sir we need to take him to the trauma center so we can assess his injuries," one of the nurses countered, her voice sounding aggravated and stern as she tried to quickly push the bed around Bart.

"Trust me that is not going to work," he smirked at her effort as he easily dashed in front of the bed again.

"Sir move!" the nurse insisted.

"No, Go talk to your boss. He is probably on the phone right now getting all the intel that you guys need." The nurse looked at him incredulously, but was astonished when the chief resident came running down the hall a split second later holding a phone to his ear.

"Nurse, get this man into a private sweet right away, no questions asked," the Doctor ordered. The nurse didn't look happy but did as she was told, leaving a smiling Bart to follow behind her.

---

It had not taken Lois long to track down Jimmy's doctor. He had actually stopped in Jimmy's room only a few minutes before Oliver's call, so she knew he was near by. She found the man continuing his rounds in another patient's room just down the hall from Jimmy's. Without hesitation Lois burst into the room and interrupted what the doctor had been saying to the other patient.

"Come on Doc, we need to go," Lois spoke matter of factly.

"I'm sorry?" the doctor responded in pure confusion, "There isn't an emergency with Mr. Olsen is there... Ms. Lane is it?"

"It is just Lois, and no there is no problem with Mr...I mean Jimmy," Lois looked at the patient lying quietly in the bed just staring at her and the doctor. "Mr. Queen needs your expertise on a matter. He says that it is very URGENT." Lois looked at the patient then back at the doctor, her expression showing that there was more to the message than she had voiced.

The doctor turned an apologetic smile to the other patient, "I am sorry, but I really must take this. I will be sure to stop in or have my associate stop in later tonight to continue to explain your test results." With that the doctor followed Lois out of the room.

Lois continued down the hall to an empty patient room and when the doctor followed her in, shut the door behind them. "I just spoke to Oliver on the phone and he said that he needs you to go to the airport immediately. There will be a plane waiting to take you..us to where-ever it is you.. I mean we are needed."

"But I have patients here and..."

"There are other doctors here that can cover for you," Lois said sternly. "Oliver said this is life or death. That means you are going to get on that plane even if I need to drag you." The serious expression on Lois' face conveyed her sincerity.

The doctor had years of experience dealing with worried families. And although none of them had been quite as intimidating as the tall women that stood before him now, he did not feel threatened. It was more the result of knowing that Oliver would never summon him like this without the situation absolutely requiring it. "Let me grab my things and we can get out of here." Lois merely nodded in response before following the doctor out of the room.

---

Bart could hear the bickering group coming down the hallway long before they came through the door to Clark's room. However, all their comments ceased when they saw Clark lying beaten on the hospital bed. There was a heart rate monitor, beeping steadily, providing the only noise in the room. Clark's bruised and swollen face was partially obstructed by an oxygen mask. The four newcomers stood silently looking down at Clark. Bart returned his gaze to the subtle rise and fall of Clark's chest, and spoke, "I told them no IV's since I don't think their needles could get through his skin anyway. It took quite a while to even find a heartbeat. I am not sure if it was just hard to hear on him or if his heart had actually stopped for a minute. The doctors are pretty furious that I wouldn't let them try to help him anymore than that."

"They'll get over it," Oliver said firmly then turned to look at Bart. "You did good." Upon looking at Bart Oliver realized that the younger man didn't look very well. "You alright? You look like hell."

"Well we can't all be the pretty boy billionaire type," Bart smirked, but there was no energy behind his verbal jab.

Dinah turned her attention to Bart and joined the conversation, "When was the last time you ate something?"

"I don't know, this morning sometime," Bart shrugged.

This more than Bart's appearance convinced the others in the room that he was not himself. Bart hardly ever went an hour without eating. "How many miles do you think you covered today?" Victor asked

"Well...How many miles of roadway are there in Canada west of Lake Ontario?" again Bart tried to smile but it did not reach his eyes.

"Dude you should have eaten something, you are always saying it takes a lot of food to fuel the fastest man on the planet," A.C. smiled.

Bart looked over at Clark, "I didn't want to leave him alone. He wouldn't have left any of us." No one responded as they all looked back at Clark's unconscious form. Bart, who had always looked at Clark as somewhat of a big brother, may be taking it the hardest, but they were all unsettled by seeing the strongest man any of them had ever known lying there, looking so weak.

"Well maybe I can go and get us all something to eat," Dinah said looking around the room. "Oliver maybe you can try to calm the doctors down, and you two can hang out here so Bart can get some rest," she finished looking at Victor and A.C. Everybody nodded in agreement.

---

Lois looked at man sitting next to her in the cab that had been waiting for them at the airport. She was amazed at how quiet they both had remained throughout their entire flight, but the closer they got to the hospital the more nervous Lois felt. Lois didn't do well with silence, everyone knew that, but it was even worse when she was nervous. "I am going to kill Oliver for having that jet land in some rinky dink airport barely fit for a crop duster," she smiled as she turned to the doctor. "Thanks to that trip I may never fly again."

"Although I agree with you that the landing was a little rough, I am not sure what other options we had in the booming town of Mid Nowheresville, Canada," the doctor joked in response.

Lois smiled and then continued the conversation now that the ice had been broken, "So how long have you KNOWN Ollie?" Lois asked drawing out the KNOWN for emphasis.

"I have known Oliver most of his life. We have been friends since childhood, but I have KNOWN about Oliver for about a year now. It seems as if his other line of work can put him in harms way quite often," the doc chuckled. "At first he would come to see me and tell me that he fell rock climbing or hurt himself sky diving. But when he showed up with gunshot and stab wounds he eventually had to let me in on things."

Lois nodded in understanding. "And now you are team doc for him and his merry band of miscreants," she smirked.

"Something like that," the doc grinned.

"So have you ever worked on Clark then?" Lois could not suppress her investigative instincts.

"Clark? I can't say that I have ever met a Clark," the doctor furrowed his brow.

Lois was relieved by the doctor's answer for two reasons. First of all, if he had never met Clark then there was a chance that she had been wrong when speaking to Oliver and Clark's life was not in danger. Secondly, she knew that Clark was keeping a secret from her and she didn't want to push for answers until he was ready to tell her. It would have felt wrong if she had gotten any kind of insight into what that secret was from the doctor just because she couldn't stop herself from asking too many questions.

The conversation with the doctor was effectively ended when the cab pulled up to the hospital. The doctor wasted no time, climbing quickly out of the cab and jogging through the main doors. Lois had to move quickly to keep up with him. By the time she got through the doors she saw a nurse pointing towards a door marked restricted entrance as she spoke to the doctor. Lois followed as the man quickly made his way through the doors.

As soon as they had cleared the doors Lois saw an odd assortment of people from her past standing outside of one of the rooms. She was just about to ask what Dinah and A.C. were doing there when she saw Oliver exit the patient room. All questions faded from her mind when her eyes met his. In that instance she knew that her fears were real. The sorrow and sympathy that she saw in Oliver's eyes told her who was in the room as clearly as any words ever could. Lois did not say a word as she pushed past the small group outside the room and swung the patient room door open.

---

Two piercing eyes flashed open momentarily blinded by the bright white surroundings. The man glanced down tying to assess the extent of his injuries. He was naked, much of his body was covered in blood, and there was a large chunk of crystal protruding from his chest. Davis did not feel any pain as he looked at the gruesome injury. Instead he felt rage, for the first time he remembered what had happened while he had been Doomsday. He remembered the look on Chloe's face as she screamed in horror upon his approach. He remembered the way she looked at Clark with care and compassion. He remembered the power he felt when fighting the last son of Krypton, and he remembered how it felt to let the creature have control. He could feel the anger and hurt inside him causing the beast to begin to crawl its way out from the deepest recesses of his body. This time he did not fight it, and as the bony monster took form the last piece of humanity left in Davis was lost for good. Doomsday was all that remained.

---

P.S. I really hate the name Doomsday my way. I am open to suggestions and will be changing it soon.

Please review!!


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: First of all I am sorry that I posted the wrong version of Chapter 2. In the version that was posted I never went back to put in a fictional Canadian town name. I think that was the only change. Second thing to apologize for: the internet was down AGAIN at my house last night, hence no post. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Let me know what you think please. **

**Chapter 3**

Lois was not prepared for the sight she found when she pulled the hospital room door open. In the center of the large room was a single hospital bed holding a dark haired man. The swelling and bruising that covered most of his face would be enough to make the man nearly unrecognizable to most, but Lois' heart sank immediately knowing that it was Clark lying in the bed. In all the years she had known Clark she had never seen him look so fragile. His tall, strong build was somehow diminished as he lay on the bed beaten and broken. The heart rate monitor that was attached to his bare chest beeped steadily, but even this sounded somehow weak to Lois. She had hated hospitals ever since her mother died, and she thought that staying by Jimmy's side for so long after he was nearly torn in two by that creature would forever be the culmination of her dislike of the places. However, for the rest of her life, it would always be this image of Clark that Lois would remember first whenever she thought of her hatred of hospitals.

The door swung shut behind her, giving her a gentle nudge into the room. With her momentum already started for her, she slowly walked towards the bed with her hands hanging still at her sides. Her jaw hung slightly open and her eyes glistened as unshed tears began to form. When she reached the side of the bed she carefully placed her hands on Clark's right hand. It was colder than she remembered. The physical contact was finally enough to cause the tears to stream down her cheeks. She stood there quietly sobbing for a few quiet moments.

The door to the room clicked and began to swing open slowly, giving Lois time to wipe the tears from her face with the back of her right hand, the left hand never leaving its place in Clark's.

Oliver peaked into the room as if to ask permission to enter. When Lois turned and made eye contact with him but did not seem to object to his presence he continued into the room. However, he had only made it a few steps before Lois began a barrage of questions.

"What happened to him? Was it that thing from the wedding? Why was he even that close to it in the first place? Did he find Chloe?"

"Lois...breath," Oliver instructed warmly. "I promise to answer everything I can." This seemed to calm Lois enough that she nodded in agreement. "Okay, first things first. He did find Chloe. She is here in the hospital."

"Is she okay?" Lois' eyes widened in shock and worry.

"She is suffering from hypothermia, but yes she is going to be fine. Clark...," Oliver looked over at his unconscious friend. "Clark saved her."

Lois turned her gaze back to Clark. "But how...I mean...that thing...," her voice sounded awestruck as her eyes filled again with tears.

"There is a lot more to Clark that you know, but I don't think it is my place to explain it to you." Oliver was surprised when Lois nodded without pushing for any other explanation. She never even lifted her eyes from Clark when Oliver continued, "Now that you are here, I am going to have them move Chloe in here so that you can be with them both until they wake." Again Lois just nodded.

Oliver had nearly reached the door before Lois called his name, "Ollie," he looked back over his shoulder allowing Lois to continue, "thanks."

Oliver nodded his head once before continuing out of the room.

---

The next few hours had passed in near silence. Chloe had been brought into the suite with Clark, and Lois now sat vigil between the two beds. Bart had finally relaxed enough to eat something and was currently fast asleep in another chair near the window with his mouth agape and drool running down his jaw. Oliver stood quietly in the corner, arms crossed on his chest, watching over the entire room. A.C., Victor, and Dinah had taken turns sitting outside the room keeping watch, while the other two sat in chairs at the foot of Clark's bed. The doctor that had accompanied Lois tried to examine Clark from time to time when Lois would fall asleep, but he was getting nowhere, having broken two needles trying to draw blood. Oliver had pulled him to the side and explained that Clark was unique. He actually wasn't even sure there was anything the Doctor could do for Clark, but he had to take the chance. The doctor continued to monitor Clark's heart rate and rhythm but was powerless to do much else. He was at least able to convince the hospital staff that he had things under control, which bought the group some additional privacy.

It was early evening when Chloe started to stir, the effects of the exhaustion and her low body temperature finally starting to give way. Oliver reached over and lightly squeezed Lois' shoulder. Lois had only dozed off a few minutes prior. When he pointed to Chloe, Lois turned to see her cousin open her eyes.

"Lois?" Chloe asked sleepily, confusion evident in her voice.

Lois stood strong for a second or two before throwing herself at Chloe and wrapping her in a bear hug. "You! Don't you ever do that to me again! You hear me!" Lois' scream woke Bart and got everyone else's attention.

Chloe was used to Lois and her unorthodox reactions and just smiled as the two separated. "I promise I will try to never be abducted by a bony behemoth again." Chloe's smile faltered as she realized where she was and that there was another bed in the room. Immediately the rest of the events since the wedding came rushing back to her, at least the time that she was not under Brainiac's control. "Jimmy...Clark...are they okay?"

"Jimmy is going to be fine," Lois started causing Chloe to sigh in relief. Pausing for a moment, Lois glanced over at Clark then slid back from her cousin far enough that Chloe could see who was in the bed next to her. Chloe gasped as she saw Clark lying in the bed. "Clark...we don't...," Lois couldn't finish her thoughts so Oliver jumped in to help her.

"We are not sure about Clark yet. He has a faint irregular pulse, but we don't really know what to do for him," Oliver rubbed his hands through his hair in frustration.

Chloe's eyes danced as she tried to collect her thoughts. Jor-El told her that the sun would help Clark, and that he needed to restore his energy so he could heal. "THE SUN!" Chloe shouted as she tried to climb out of her bed.

"What! What are you talking about? Chloe, where are you going?" Lois asked as the short blonde finally kicked away her sheets and pulled out her IV.

"The yellow sun is what makes Clark...Clark," Chloe turned to Oliver to continue when she saw the confused look on Lois' face. "We need to get him into the sun," she finished definitively.

"Chloe we are still in Northern Canada. There isn't much sun even in the middle of the afternoon, let alone nine o'clock at night," Oliver had learned in his time working with Chloe that her opinions should always be taken seriously, especially when it came to Clark.

"Will someone please explain to me what is going on? I mean I know I always feel a little better with a tan, but I really don't think that is what Clark needs right now," Lois stated exasperatedly.

"Lois there are things you don't know about Clark so I need you to just trust me when I say I know how to help him," Chloe looked Lois dead in the eye to convey her sincerity, earning her a nod in acquiescence.

"Chloe, I trust you on all things Clark, but that still doesn't change the whole latitude problem we have," Oliver reminded.

"No problemo, I will just run him down to Tijuana," Bart suggested.

"I don't think that is a good idea. He is probably bleeding internally. If we move him around too much we could just make it worse," Dinah added grimily.

"UV Lamps or the lights from a tanning bed! Maybe they would work." Chloe thought out loud.

Victor did not wait to be asked as he typed at a keypad on his wrist, "There is a tanning salon only two blocks from here."

The door to Clark's room slammed open as a gust of wind hit everyone in the room. A second later another gust of wind hit them as Bart held out four bulbs from a tanning bed.

"We need something to put them in as well," Oliver smirked.

"Oh yeah, sorry about that," Bart replied then turned to look at Victor.

"Hardware store 2nd and Maple," the words were hardly even out of his mouth before Bart was standing there with four portable florescent light fixtures that could house the bulbs.

"You didn't steal this stuff did you?" Oliver chuckled as he asked the question.

"I left them a note," Bart shrugged earning him a few laughs from around the room.

Chloe put the bulbs in the lights and placed them all around Clark. Each turned on and cast a bright light down on his skin.

"Do you think this will work?" Lois asked cautiously as she stood over Clark.

"I don't know, but it is worth a shot," Chloe said as she placed a hand on Lois's shoulder.

---

Throughout the night Dinah, A.C., and Victor had each ducked out of the room to get some sleep in the waiting room. The lights on Clark were too bright to allow them to sleep in his room. Bart didn't seem to mind the lights, as he was passed out in his chair next to the window through most of the night, still try to catch up from the energy he had exerted earlier in the day. Oliver had relaxed enough to take one of the chairs at the foot of Clark's bed, but he got little sleep and never left the room. Chloe and Lois had spent the night sitting to Clark's right. Lois close enough to hold his hand, their hands protected from the Lamp light by a corner of his blanket. Chloe sat right next to Lois with her hand rubbing small comforting circles on her cousin's back.

Through the course of the night only brief conversations took place. First Lois explained her trip to Star city and Jimmy's recovery to Chloe. This conversation went relatively smooth. The next time anyone spoke was much more difficult. Lois had remained quiet despite the millions of questions buzzing around her head. It had been easier when there was so much going on, but now that everyone other than Chloe and Oliver were asleep and those two were very sitting silently in the room with her she could not hold her tongue any longer. Shifting in her chair she turned to face Chloe, who met her look. Before Lois even had a chance to ask the question Chloe nodded, "I know you want to know what is going on, and I will answer what I can. However, you have to know going into this that you are not going to like some of my answers. There are going to have to be things that wait until Clark wakes up for you to know." Lois opened her mouth in a defiant manner only to have Chloe stop her before she could get started, "No Lois, No arguments. It is either those rules or nothing at all."

"Fine," Lois agreed in a pouting tone.

"Okay then, ask away," Chloe gestured with her hand towards Lois.

"Okay, let's start with what the hell happened to Clark?"

"Doomsday, the monster that attacked my wedding and kidnapped me did this to Clark," Chloe answered.

"Doomsday?" Lois asked. Chloe didn't respond instead looking over at Clark. "Let me guess that is one for Clark to explain," Lois asked causing Chloe to nod. "Okay then! So Clark found the two of you?"

"Yes," Chloe confirmed.

"And then," Lois gestured for her to continue.

"Well, All I can really say is that Clark rescued me, without him I may be dead or worse, and that Doomsday is dead."

"Clark saved you from that monster?!" Lois exclaimed in amazement as Chloe silently agreed as both turned and sat quietly looking at Clark for a moment. "I always knew there was more to him than he let on, but I never thought," Lois looked over to see a very apprehensive Chloe, "Oh don't worry. I am not asking you to tell me." Lois paused and then looked warmly at Clark, "He will tell me when he is ready."

To this Chloe smiled and lightly placed a hand on Lois' shoulder. In the background Oliver chuckled to himself. And there it is, the difference between her feelings for him and her feelings for Clark. When it was him with the secret she dug for answers. With Clark, loving him was enough of a truth for her, at least for the time being.

Although the conversation for the rest of the night was scarce the mood in the room lightened considerably when Lois noticed that the large bruise above Clark's left eye was getting smaller, and that the cuts that had been on his left cheek seemed to have disappeared. At first she was amazed. But when she saw the reaction of the only other awake people in the room, she realized that this had been exactly what they were hoping for. The only explanation Chloe gave was a very happy, "It seems to be working."

The remainder of the night was very quiet until into the early morning hours. Unfortunately, the peace that had settled on them during the night was harshly disturbed when the area outside of the suite erupted into chaos at approximately 5 am.

Just as Oliver was heading for the door to see what was going on Victor, A.C., and Dinah came running into Clark's room. "Oliver we have a problem," Dinah's face was whiter than Oliver imagined possible. The other two men standing next to her did not look any better, both appearing as if they had seen a ghost.

"What is it?" Oliver asked knowing that the answer was not something he was ready to hear.

"There are reports of some kind of large bony monster making its way south. It has been randomly attacking anyone it finds. It has hit three of the small towns nearby already," Victor replied.

"There are injured people everywhere out there. It looks like some kind of horror movie," A.C. added.

At this comment Lois looked at Chloe with pure fear in her eyes. Chloe instantly knew what she was thinking, "It can't be. That thing was dead. I saw it with my own eyes. It was DEAD!" Fear began to overwhelm her as well.

Oliver looked to the floor for an instant before turning to look at Victor, "Where was it last seen?"

"20 miles South, South East, fortunately it missed this town," Victor's reply was serious, knowing why Oliver had asked.

Lois also knew what was going on, "NO! NO WAY! You are not going after that thing Oliver Queen." Lois quickly stood while she spoke finishing her sentence with a sharp poke to Oliver's chest.

"Lois..." Oliver started to argue but she interrupted him.

"No, that thing is not your problem. Let the military fight it. I can call the General right now."

"Lois they can't fight it, you know that," Oliver still spoke softly despite Lois' angry tone.

"But..." this time Oliver cut off Lois' argument.

"Lois trust me, I have no desire to go after this thing, but if we don't people will die!" Oliver stood staring her in the eye for a few seconds. Eventually, Lois dropped her gaze to the floor nonverbally telling Oliver that he had won this argument. Lois was in fact an army brat. She had seen countless soldiers go off to face an enemy and understood the sacrifices they had to make for the sake of others.

Lois pulled her shoulders back and stood to her full height, "Just be careful," though it was not her trademark bravado, it was the best she could muster at the moment.

With that, Oliver turned and looked at each of the members of the league one at a time. Each returning his gaze and giving him a curt nod of the head to tell him they were with him till the end. When his gaze fell on Dinah's, the last of the group, her eyes softened slightly at him as she nodded. Together they turned and walked out of the room.

Chloe rose from her chair and moved over next to Lois, "They are going to be okay, Lois. They are a pretty extraordinary group." When Lois turned to look at her Chloe continued on, "I think there are a few things I need to explain to you."

---


	5. Chapter 4

**Hope you like this chapter, only a few more to go (I am not sure the exact number since I am adding just a bit to the ending). I would like to think it is going in a direction you like but since so few have said anything it is hard so for sure ;)**

**Chapter 4**

The television was turned to a live newscast from a small lake town approximately 10 miles from the hospital, the beast had moved in their direction after completely destroying yet another town.

The scene was one of devastation. People fled for their lives while buildings erupted in flames or were toppled to the ground. Although the actual monster could not be seen, an occasional roar or a victim's scream could be heard. A cameraman slowly followed a brave reporter as they made their way towards the area the monster was currently destroying. Finally reaching a small opening between burning cars the camera could see the beast. The reporter instantly went silent in dread, unable to continue with her report.

Chloe sat next to Clark while Lois paced on the opposite side of Clark's bed. Both of the women were staring at the TV.

"Okay, I already knew about Oliver's Robin Hood fetish, but your saying they all have powers right," Lois asked nervously. "You said that the runt is faster than the red blue blur, Victor is a cyborg, A.C. is like half super fish, and Dinah has a big mouth."

"Something like that," Chloe did not correct her snide comment about Dinah.

"Even still how are they going to be able to fight that thing," fear continued to grow in Lois' voice.

"I don't..." Chloe practically whispered, only to stop when her breath caught at the scene on the newscast. Lois saw Chloe's reaction and turned her attention back to the television to see what had caused her to stop.

The early morning light, what little there was this far north, was just enough to light the large opening between the shores of a lake and the outer most buildings of the town. It was here that the creature could be seen standing next to a car flipped onto its roof that contained a very frightened mother and daughter.

At the edge of the clearing could also be seen a young man wearing a bright red hoody who stood defiantly looking at the monster.

"No Bart! Wait for the others!" Chloe spoke as if she expected Bart to hear her. But Bart did not wait when the creature began to move toward the trapped people. Before Lois could blink, Bart had raised a metal bar from the ruins of a building and attacked the creature. Bart had sprinted all out towards Doomsday before launching himself from the roof of a nearby car, his first blow striking the beast on the side of the head. Although Bart did not have super strength his blows were backed with all the speed he could muster making the blow strong enough to chip one of the bony protrusions sticking out from the creatures head. Despite the damage to the tough bony armor, the blow did not faze Doomsday. It had however, served the purpose of momentarily drawing the monster's attention away from the trapped people. Bart did not slow down as he made his way to the opposite side of the clearing, "Over here UGLY!" he yelled as he waved his arms in the air. Doomsday moved in his direction with slow angry steps, knocking debris from its path as it approached the young man.

When the creature had made it nearly to Bart he sped to the beast's side behind some rubble and back towards the trapped people. Doomsday did not catch Bart's movement and was confused when it arrived where the boy had been and found no one around. The creature began angrily tearing apart anything that could serve as a hiding place in the vicinity. Meanwhile Bart had reached the car and had begun trying to pry the door open with the metal bar he had used as a weapon mere seconds earlier. The front door gave way easily after a quick pry from the bar. Bart reached into the car and pulled the first person he found, the mother, from the vehicle and sped her to safety. The mother hadn't even realized what had happened until Bart was already on his way back to the car. As Bart ran towards the overturned vehicle he heard her tear filled plea, "PLEASE SAVE MY BABY!"

The small terrified girl was strapped into her booster seat in the rear of the car and therefore could not be reached from the front door that Bart had already pried open. Looking around Bart found the piece of metal he had used on the front door and began prying on the rear. This door was not as cooperative, but did eventually give way. With a loud groan of bent metal the rear passenger door swung open, allowing Bart to reach in and unbuckle the child from her seat.

Unfortunately, the sound of the door giving way also caught the attention of the monster on the other side of the clearing. With a roar of displeasure, the beast hurled itself into the air in the direction of the car. Hearing the roar Bart looked towards where Doomsday had been furiously searching for him just in time to see the creature leap into the air. The monster covered nearly half of the distance separating it from the car on the first bound, landing with a thunderous boom that shook the ground violently. The tremor caused the small girl to cower in fear causing her to slide away from the unknown Bart. To reach the girl the hero had to climb further into the car. From his new position, lying along the roof of the overturned car, Bart could see past the small girl and out the rear window on the opposite side, where her could see the creature leap into the air for a second time. This leap was much faster and higher, and was carrying the creature directly toward the upside down car. As quickly as he could Bart grabbed the girl and sped from the car, making it out just as the creature landed on the vehicle smashing it flat to the earth below. This time, however, the creature saw a blur of movement in the direction in which Bart had previously taken the child's mother. The creature again threw its hulking mass into the air, following the line that it had seen Bart take. Bart arrived at the small area in which he had left the woman and carefully set the child down, pointing the two towards a small hidden area in which they could hide. He hesitated for just an instant to make sure they were well hidden. That hesitation proved to be just a moment too long. Just as Bart was about to speed off, the creature came crashing down next to him. Although the creature missed landing directly on top of the hero, his landing caused a shockwave that knocked Bart from his feet. Before Bart could climb back to his feet the monster swatted him as a man would swat a fly.

Chloe and Lois watched in horror as Bart's limp body flew thirty feet through the air, landing hard amongst the stone and overturned cars. "Oh my God!" Chloe wailed as she hid her face in her hands. Lois instinctively ran around Clark's bed and wrapped her arms protectively around her cousin. Lois felt her self begin to tremble as she watched as the monster made its way toward where Bart had landed, apparently ready to make sure the boy was dead. Approximately 10 feet from where Bart had landed the creature suddenly stopped and placed its large clawed hands over its ears. The newscast's sound simultaneously cut out leaving only the video feed. Doomsday stumbled back slightly as four other figures entered the screen from the left. Dinah was leading the way with her mouth fully open. Victor, A.C., and Oliver all followed closely behind. The creature shook its head as if to clear the pain that no doubt filled its ears. Taking another step back the creature turned its back on the league, reaching for a large piece of broken concrete. In one motion the monster heaved the rubble at the group causing them to dive for cover, and in the process ending the assault on its eardrums, and jumped away from the others; retreating behind a partially destroyed building closer to the water's edge. When Dinah and the rest of the league scattered to avoid the incoming cement the newscast's audio signal returned. Based on what Chloe had explained about Dinah's abilities, Lois was guessing that it was her powers that had knocked out the audio and drove Doomsday away.

Chloe turned her attention back to the screen without pulling away from Lois' embrace. She watched as Dinah and Victor quickly made their way toward where Bart had landed while Oliver and A.C. separated to flank the monster. The heroes' arrival spurred the reporter to finally break her silence.

"As you can ah...see, some sort of...creature is destroying...everything," the small town correspondent had never seen anything like the scene before her eyes, and it showed in her shell-shocked speech. "It appears that a group of...well…it appears that a small group is resisting the creature, although one of the group...the young man that saved trapped mother and daughter, has been seriously injured or worse." The reporter's words sent a chill down Lois' spine and caused Chloe to quietly sob for her friend as they continued to watch.

---

It was as if he was in a sea of black; a night so thick that all light and sounds were absorbed by the darkness surrounding him. He could not remember how long he had been there, or where "there" even was. He even had a hard time remembering what had happened and who he was. That was until the muffled sound of a woman's voice broke through the black. At first there were just scattered words, but as he listened more intently he could make out phrases then entire sentences. The woman was describing a massacre, a beast causing terrible damage and killing mercilessly. As he listened to the heart wrenching scene being described he struggled to find where the voice was coming from. However, every time he thought he found the direction from which the voice originated it seemed to change, leaving him no closer to finding the source.

The woman's voice continued, describing a group of heroes that had arrived and were fighting the creature. She spoke of a young man being injured maybe even dead. She spoke of a man dressed in green firing arrows that would either explode or send sparks of electricity coursing through the creature, and none of the arrows having any effect on the creature whatsoever. She spoke of others doing there best to fight, but again being no match for the monster. Then the woman's voice raised in panic, as the creature finally got his hands on one of the heroes, a tall fair skinned man wearing a bright green and orange disguise. Her words described the horrible beating the creature bestowed upon the man before casually flipping his seemingly lifeless body into an icy lake. It was at this moment that he heard another voice, a familiar voice that struck something deep inside of him. Clark focused all of his attention on this voice. He could hear her trying to console someone else, yet there was grief in her voice as well. Then in one instant two things happened that made the sounds become as clear as if they were right in front of him. First, he recognized the second woman's voice as Lois and second he heard the word Doomsday. The darkness surrounding him faded as dawn forces away the black of night. Thoughts ran through his mind. Images of the dead creature conflicted with what he was hearing. Thoughts of the creature that he had been destined to kill, that he _had _killed, hurting and killing the people he cared about were foremost in his thoughts. It required more effort to open his eyes than lifting his dad's tractor ever had, but slowly his eyes opened, revealing the four bright UV lamp's bathing his body in light.

---

Lois could not pull her eyes from the screen as she watched in horror. The people she had sat in that very room with just this morning were being beaten and flung about as if they were rag dolls. Dread filled her as she watched even those with extraordinary abilities consistently come up short against an apparently unstoppable enemy. The few police officers that had tried to be of assistance fired their weapons, but the creature did not respond to their bullets, much like he had not even felt them. Then she saw as he lunged suddenly to the side and came up holding A.C. The normally laid back surfer repeatedly swung his fists into the creatures face as Doomsday held the man tightly in his grasp, but the creature did not stop. First the beast swung the helpless man into a brick wall multiple times. Then he held him high in the air by the neck trying to squeeze the life from his body. Chloe gasped again as A.C.'s blood covered head fell forward lifeless, before Doomsday casually flung him into the Lake nearby. Even though Lois felt just as much dread as Chloe she tried to comfort her cousin, "It will be okay baby girl. If anyone can stop Doomsday they can."

Lois had been holding Chloe, who had turned her attention back to the television, for a few moments when she felt...something. She couldn't explain it. It was almost like the feeling that she had in her stomach when she experienced Déjà vu. Slowly she turned her gaze instinctively to Clark and waited. She didn't know what she was waiting for but she did not pull her gaze from Clark's face even for a second. Then she saw it. Clark's eyelids fluttered as if he were having a very bad dream. Loosening her grip on Chloe, Lois turned and leaned down taking Clark's hand. Very slowly Clark's eyelids lifted momentarily revealing the blue eyes she knew so well, before he squinted in response to the bright UV lamps shining down on him. Quickly, Lois swung the lamps away from his face, allowing Clark to see clearly for the first time.

The first thing Clark saw once the lights had been moved was Lois' face. She was absolutely beaming, her smile nearly touching her ears on each side of her face. Warmth flooded through Clark as he gazed up at her.

"About time you wake up," the teasing remark did nothing to change the smile Lois held on her face. The comment also got the attention of Chloe who had not noticed Clark waking up.

"Thank God you are okay Clark!" Chloe said as she rushed around the other side of his bed opposite Lois.

"I..." he started before clearing his throat and continuing, "I am glad to see you are okay."

"Um Clark I think you have that backwards," Lois joked. "I am fine and so is Chloe."

"Thanks to you," the smile faded from Chloe's face as a look of utter appreciation overtook her features.

"Is it...Dead?" Clark looked at Chloe, not knowing how much she had told Lois.

The expression on both women fell, and that is when Clark heard the reporter on the television. It was the same voice he had been hearing in the darkness. Upon waking he had really hoped that he had been dreaming and that Doomsday was still indeed dead. But there it was, on the screen in front of him. The monster roared and picked up a car easily tossing it to the side. Clark felt anger building in side him as he saw the people running for their lives as the beast started to make its way out of a large clearing towards the larger buildings of the town. The anger turned to fury when he saw the creature rush a man wearing green carrying a woman wearing yellow and black. Fortunately the beast's progress was slowed by the man he recognized as Victor long enough for Oliver to get the unconscious Dinah out of harm's way. Victor did not last long before being tossed aside by the beast; smashing into the outer wall of a large brick building.

Clark searched the screen for Bart and A.C. When he didn't find them his heart sank. He sat up and pushed the blanket covering his lower half off, swinging his legs off of the side of the bed, reaching for his jeans and a shirt that Oliver had left for him.

"Where do you think you are going?" Lois asked as she stepped directly in front of him.

"I am going to help," he replied firmly.

"No you are not. You are in no shape to help anyone," Lois raised her voice ready for an argument.

She did not get the response she expected, as Clark softly placed his hands on her shoulders. "Lois there is so much I want to tell you, have wanted to tell you for quite some time really. I just couldn't find the right time or words," he paused and pointed to the screen. "I promise you that I am the only one that can stop that thing. I know that doesn't make any sense to you, but it is the truth." Lois opened her mouth to respond but Clark quieted her by placing his hand on her cheek. "Like I said there are a lot of things I have wanted to tell you." The sincerity behind his words in combination with his soft touch silenced Lois as she stared into his eyes understanding what he meant.

A loud crash came from the television, drawing their attention to the screen. Again Victor was trying to slow Doomsday to no avail, and this time he was even worse off. Doomsday lifted him high over his head before throwing him hard onto the street, the flight taking down some electric lines in the process. Clark, Lois, and Chloe watched as Victor writhed in pain from the shocks he received from the downed lines.

Clark could not wait any longer. He stared hard into her eyes trying to convey as much as he could at that very second, "I am sorry. Just please understand how much you mean to me," Clark turned to walk away, but Lois grabbed his arm.

When Clark turned to look at her she leapt forward wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, pulling Clark into a tight hug. Clark's arms instinctively wrapped themselves around her waist in response. When Lois felt his embrace equal hers she leaned back just far enough to see his face and then pressed her lips against his. The kiss was not fiery or overtly passionate, but it was filled with love. The short kiss was ended as again the newscast pulled Clark's attention away from the embrace. Lois loosened her grip on him allowing him to step away. Her hand slowly slid from his neck down his arm. When it reached his hand she tightened her grip. Clark's eyes locked with hers, "Promise me you will come back," Lois commanded.

"Lois...I...," Clark stammered not wanting to make a promise he was not sure he could keep.

Lois knew what he was doing and would have no part of it, "Clark Kent you promise me right now that you are coming back or so help me...," her tone was demanding and her words were threatening, but the fear in her eyes is what won Clark over.

"I promise," although it lacked the confidence Lois would have loved to hear, Clark's soft promise was enough for her as she let go of his hand. Clark looked at Chloe wordlessly nodding goodbye before turning his gaze back to Lois, and with a strong gust of wind he was gone.

---


	6. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone! Here is the next chapter. Hope you like it.**

**Chapter 5**

Lois stood there silently for a few seconds before tears began to stream down her cheek. The same sense of fear that she had experienced after speaking with Clark on the phone just before he found Chloe returned with a vengeance. This time she knew he was on his way to confront the monster that had already nearly killed him. Chloe came to her side and wrapped her cousin in a tight hug, searching for comfort as much as she was giving it. Only seconds after their embrace began the reporter announced the arrival of what seemed to be another hero drawing their gaze back to the screen. Lois watched in amazement as on the screen a man wearing the very same clothes as Clark picked up off his bed stood at the edge of the clearing with his hands on him knees. The camera was too far away to make out the man's face but Lois knew that it was Clark.

"Clark looks like he is out of breath," Chloe stated in a worried tone.

"Well wouldn't you be, he just ran 10 miles in under 10 seconds," Lois scoffed, still amazed at what she had just witnessed.

"Not Clark," Chloe slowly shook her head side to side, responding solemnly.

It was then that Lois realized what Chloe was saying. Clark was not at 100%. He was going to be fighting the thing that had nearly killed him before he was completely recovered. Lois' heart sank even lower than it already was. Without saying a word she turned and ran for the door. Chloe called after her, but she did not slow down or even look back. When Lois came to a stop at the main entrance of the hospital she could hear her cousin running down the hall trying to catch her. Figuring she couldn't just leave her there, Lois waited for Chloe before continuing out the door just as her cousin caught up. Once outside the door Lois turned to Chloe, "I can not sit here and watch Clark be...I need to do something...help somehow...and I can't do that here." Lois' thoughts were jumbled but it was clear what she intended to do.

Chloe, who was still out of breath from running after Lois, just nodded in both understanding and agreement. Neither one of the two had ever been good at sitting on the sidelines. Lois searched the small parking lot with her eyes. Finding what she had been looking for she grabbed Chloe's hand and ran towards a parked ambulance. "Get in," she instructed Chloe who did as she was told.

Once inside the vehicle Chloe turned to her cousin, "Okay, Why an ambulance?"

"First off, as crazy as things have been today I figured that they would have just left the keys in the thing, AH HA!" she exclaimed as she pulled the keys from above the sun visor. "And secondly," she started as she looked around the dash board then started flipping switches, "sirens will make this trip go a lot faster." The first few switches she flipped were not for the siren. Instead the windshield wipers, the over head lights, and the four ways were all going crazy before the siren and accompanying lights came to life. Once accomplishing her task Lois looked at Chloe, "Piece of cake," and with that she tore out of the parking lot, running a red light in the process.

---

The scene Clark experienced when he reached the small town Doomsday was attacking did nothing to ease his mind. There were destroyed buildings and cars everywhere he looked. Structure fires raged along the edge of the clearing where the battle had been taking place. The monster had to be stopped before more innocent people lost their homes or worse yet their lives. As clear as that goal was for him now, he feared that he may not be able to accomplish it. The act of running here from the hospital left him lightheaded. He still felt strong and a quick check had told him that his powers were intact, but he was not at 100%.

A cry of pain followed by the sound of something crashing to the ground only yards from where Clark was standing brought him back to the scene at hand.

"Umpf!" the wind was pushed from Victor's lungs as he landed hard on the ground.

Clark rushed to his friend's side and helped the man sit up. "Are you alright?"

""Clark!" Victor's voice held pain underneath the excitement of seeing Clark, "It is good to see you up and around."

"Where is everyone?" Clark's tone was serious as he peered around the clearing.

"Dinah was knocked out and Bart is banged up pretty bad, Oliver got them both to safety while I distracted Doomsday. I lost sight of him while fighting but he should be around here somewhere trying to find a way to stop that thing. A.C. is...well...we haven't seen him since he was fighting Doomsday." Sadness briefly flickered across Victor's face.

"Alright, we need to find Oliver." Clark instructed. "The two of you can start searching the buildings for people that need help. Get as many as you can to safety."

"Clark I can help you," Victor began to argue.

"I know you can, but those people need help too." Clark's voice softened, "This is my fight." After pausing for a moment he continued with a small grin, "You guys just get the people to safety as quickly as you can so you can get back here." Clark was trying to lighten the mood to alleviate some of Victor's concern, knowing full well that there were far too many people for the two of them alone to rescue. They would be busy for hours, and he would be left to face Doomsday alone.

Victor, who did not have the power to hear all the cries for help, was not unaware of Clark's reasoning but acquiesced and nodded as Clark helped him to his feet, "Last time I saw Oliver he was to the left side of the clearing." A loud crash sounded towards the dock on the water's edge to the right of the heroes. "I think you can find Doomsday," Victor finished solemnly.

Clark nodded in response, "Go to the people. I will head to the left on the way to the water's edge. I'll find Oliver and send him to meet you," and without another word sped off.

---

Doomsday was in the middle of his most recent rampage, tearing down anything and everything that stood in his way. Fortunately, most of the people, though not all, had cleared from this area before the monster reached this part of the wharf. Clark stopped just short of where the creature could see him to assess the situation. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a flash of green moving behind a row of destroyed boats now tossed along the shore. Using his X-ray vision Clark scanned the area and saw Oliver behind one of the boats. He was much closer to the shore than Victor had thought. He was bent forward with his left arm protectively holding his ribs. Clark quickly sped behind the boat shielding his friend from the monster's sight.

"You okay?" Clark asked quietly.

Oliver, who had felt the familiar rush of air signifying Clark's arrival, remained looking around the corner of the boat for a moment before turning to look at Clark, "Yeah, are you?"

"Yeah," Clark did not elaborate. "What is the situation?"

"The situation is that nothing we do even phases this thing," frustration bubbled up in Oliver's voice. "Explosives, Cyborg's strength, Bart's speed...it has all been useless in stopping him. The only thing that even slowed him down was Canary's call, and she is unconscious." For the first time Clark noticed a hint of fear in Oliver's eyes. It came when Oliver turned his gaze from Doomsday to the buildings that still contained people.

"We will stop him before he gets to anyone else," Clark said guessing Oliver's thoughts. Oliver turned and looked at him without speaking. He looked hard at Clark and for the first time since the fight had begun, he felt a small flicker of hope. The welcomed feeling was short lived as it was interrupted by a sharp pain shooting through his ribcage. Oliver winced and held his left arm tighter to his side. Clark saw the pain on Oliver's face and scanned his torso.

"You have a couple broken ribs, but no internal organ damage," Clark said relieved.

"Somehow that doesn't make it feel any better," Oliver joked.

"You need to get to a safer location," Clark began forcing the small smirk that Oliver wore to quickly fade. Before Oliver had a chance to argue Clark continued, "Hear me out. You said it yourself. Your arrows are not affecting Doomsday, and you are already injured. You couldn't even draw your bow right now anyway." Oliver's shoulders sagged knowing that Clark was probably right. "Besides," Clark continued, "Cyborg is trying to help get the people out of those buildings before they collapse and kill everyone inside. He could really use a hand locating everyone."

"And what about you?" Oliver asked, although he was pretty sure he knew the answer already.

"I have to stop Doomsday. I am the only one who can."

Again Oliver sat quietly in response. He hated that there was nothing he could say or do. Clark was the only one that had a chance to stop Doomsday, but even that was a reach. "Just don't get dead doing it. Alright?" Oliver tried to smile, "I am pretty sure that the only thing worse than Doomsday would be Lois if you go and get yourself killed."

Clark nodded and stood to walk away. He stopped at the other end of the boat they were hiding behind. "I will distract him. You make your way to Cyborg and get those people to safety." Oliver nodded and watched as Clark stepped out from the seclusion the boat had provided.

Clark only paused for a moment when he stepped from behind the boat. Doomsday was standing amongst the rubble of a destroyed boat house about a hundred yards away. The creature reared its head and released a blood chilling roar into the air that echoed through the buildings laid to waste along the docks. Clark's fists tightened as he glanced around the ground on which he stood. It was stained crimson with blood. Knowing that it was not the creature's blood on which he stood filled Clark with a nauseous feeling that would have overcome him if it hadn't been quickly surpassed by a burning rage. This creature was killing randomly. These people were not soldiers or criminals, they were innocent men, women, and children. Although the sight of the creature was enough to cause even the greatest hero to hesitate, it was in that instant that Clark's resolve became as strong as steel. Doomsday had to be stopped, no matter what the cost.

---

Neither Lois nor Chloe spoke during their trip from the hospital to the small lake town that Doomsday was ravaging. The newscast was interrupted for some reason early in their trip, leaving the blaring siren and Lois repeatedly beeping the ambulance's horn at all those who did not move out of her path quickly enough as the only noise. The air in the small cabin of the vehicle was as thick as any Chloe could ever remember, causing her to roll down her window despite the chilly winter air. She turned her attention to her cousin. Lois was staring intently at the road ahead. Her shoulders and arms were held rigid as she squeezed the steering wheel hard enough to turn her knuckles white. Chloe could see the raw emotion in Lois' dark eyes. It was just like her. As long as Chloe had known her, Lois had never done anything halfway. She never held back in the things she had said or done. Apparently it was the same with giving away her heart. Lois had fought it long and hard, denying the inevitable for quite some time, but it seems as though Lois had finally experienced that forever kind of love, probably for the first time in her life. Somehow it didn't surprise Chloe that Clark had been the one to leap the walls Lois had built around her heart. Much like falling from a cliff, there was no going back for Lois now.

Chloe's thoughts were pulled back into the present when Lois pressed hard on the horn and swore as a small car failed to get out of her way in a timely fashion. Normally it would have excited Chloe to no end to see Lois this determined to protect a relationship, but these days nothing was normal. They were driving head-long into a battle that Chloe was not sure could be won, especially by two mere mortals. The realization and fear at what was ahead of them settled hard into Chloe's chest, stealing her breath. She was just about to try to convince Lois that they should think this through, when Lois slammed on the breaks. The ambulance came screeching to a halt on a two lane road leading into the small town they had seen on the news. A police car barricade was set-up blocking the road into town while the opposite lane was filled with those fleeing the town for safety. The embankment next to the road was not very steep and was covered in grass. Lois turned the vehicle towards the grass leading around the barricade. A young officer jumped in front of her momentarily. Whether it was the glare Lois gave the man, the intensity of which not even Clark could match with his heat vision, or the fact that they were driving an ambulance that caused the man to rethink his hindrance of them proceeding Chloe would never know. It was at that instant that Chloe finally broke the silence, "Lois are you sure..." Chloe left the question hang in the air unfinished.

"Sure? Sure of what exactly? Sure of what that thing is, no. sure that it is not going to kill Clark while he tries to save the world, apparently not for the first time, no. sure that I will be able to do a damn thing to help Clark even if he does need me, no. Hell, while we are at it...I am not even sure what is going on between me and Clark..." Lois paused for a second "But one thing I am sure of is that I would never be able to live with myself if I lost the chance to find out while sitting back doing nothing." Lois turned a quick glance to Chloe as they continued down the road, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. Chloe did not voice a response only nodding in understanding.

---

Clark's initial movement from behind the boat went unnoticed by the creature that was currently destroying yet another vacant boathouse. Deciding to use surprise to his advantage Clark sped towards the beast, approaching him from behind.

Oliver watched from the boat as Clark sped towards Doomsday, seeing only a blur of color before hearing a loud roar as the creature stumbled forward arching its back in pain. Clark stood behind the enraged beast with his hands balled into tightly clenched fists. When Oliver was certain that all of Doomsdays attention was focused on Clark he started to head towards the buildings in which he knew Cyborg was trying to rescue the people Clark had mentioned. He had made it ten quick strides away from Clark and Doomsday when he heard another grunt in pain. This one was different, as it was much more human. Turning Oliver could see that Doomsday had been able to land a blow of his own, as Clark was currently dragging himself to his feet at the base of a large pile of rubble that had apparently not so effectively cushioned his fall. In that moment Oliver was torn. He knew realistically there was little, if not nothing, he could do to help Clark, but he also did not want to leave his friend behind to die alone.


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thanks for catching the prologue being listed as epilogue Katie147. I kept having trouble changing the chapter titles and somehow never caught the mistake. I also want to thank everyone that has reviewed this story. Even though there have not been many reviews or even hits for that matter, the reviews you have left mean a lot to me. Since I don't think I will be quitting my day job anytime, it is always cool to hear someone likes what you have written. **

**Chapter 6**

Oliver cast one last look at the buildings containing the people before turning and returning quickly to the boat he and Clark had just been behind. Slowly he peered from around the end of the vessel, trying to find a route that would get him closer to Doomsday yet still keep him from being seen. Finally he was able to choose a path that would utilize some of the damages boats and buildings. As quietly and as low to the ground as he could, Oliver ran toward the ongoing battle. He only stopped a few times to make sure that Doomsday's attention was still occupied. It took a few minutes for Oliver to make his way close enough to Doomsday that the beast was within range of his bow.

In the meantime Clark had been able to hold his own. Both he and Doomsday had landed a few punches each. However, Clark was starting to fatigue and it was beginning to show. He was obviously not fully recovered from their last encounter and the lack of sufficient sunlight this far north was not helping. Oliver knew that if he didn't find some way of helping Clark soon, this fight was not going to last much longer.

Once in range Oliver positioned himself for a shot at Doomsday and looked into his quiver. He only had one explosive arrow, and three regular arrows left. He knocked one of the regular arrows and readied himself for the shot. He waited until Clark was clear and pulled back on the string of the bow. Immediately his arms went weak causing him to drop his bow and fold over in pain, his broken ribs crying out defiantly to the strain placed on them from drawing the bow. Oliver grunted as the pain in his chest took his breath. Slowly the archer gathered his wind and forced himself upright just in time to see Doomsday land a vicious blow to Clark's side, again knocking him to the ground. Clark was unable to immediately return to his feet, which gave Doomsday enough time to land another blow to the side of Clark's face splitting his lip and knocking him flat to the ground. Clark moaned in pain and spit out a mouth full of blood, as he rolled from his side to his back. Oliver knew that he had to act or Clark was going to die so he took his position once again. He took one long slow breath, this alone causing the pain in his ribs to worsen, before drawing his bow to it full length. The pain in Oliver's ribs felt as if someone had stabbed him with a white-hot poker, but he steadied himself before releasing the arrow with a loud groan. Although Oliver did not see the arrow hit its target, as he was again doubled over in pain, the shot had been true. The razor sharp diamond tipped blades attached to the titanium and graphite shaft sliced through the air, striking the monster in the right eye just as the beast was about to land another blow to Clark's supine form.

Oliver raised his gaze at hearing the creature howling in pain as it stumbled a few steps back. Instinctually, the beast reached to its eye and pulled on the arrow. For the first time since the fight had begun Oliver saw the creature bleed. It was also apparent that the creature was now blind in its right eye as it tripped over a pile of rubble falling to one knee.

The delay gave Clark a chance to gather himself and muster the needed strength to climb back to his feet. Once he was standing he was able to see how the creature had been injured. A green arrow, now covered in blood, was lying on the ground at the beast's feet. Clark briefly glanced in the direction the arrow had to have come from, seeing Oliver bent over in plain sight holding his ribs. Clark could not help the gratitude that he felt for Oliver putting himself in danger to try to help his friend.

Clark turned his attention back to the monster and circled to the creature's right. The creature could not see him coming due to the damage Oliver's arrow had caused. The first blow that Clark landed came without warning, catching the still distracted beast by surprise. The loud cracking of bone echoed through the air, as the bony armor that protected the beast's head gave slightly under the force of Clark's fist. Again the creature stumbled backwards as it howled in pain. Clark did not give the creature time to recover as he unleashed yet another devastating punch to the side of the creatures head. This time Doomsday was knocked all the way to the ground. Clark wavered as he walked towards the beast, the amount of energy his already depleted body had expended during the strike fatiguing him further. He tried to gather himself yet again by leaning on a demolished car, but stumbled weakly to the ground. While he tried to catch his breath Doomsday began to climb to its feet. However, it did not attack once it was standing. Instead the creature looked at Clark through its one functioning eye before leaping high into the air. The injured creature was retreating away from Clark, landing a few hundred feet away. Unfortunately, the creature was retreating towards the town, as well as the buildings both Clark and Oliver knew contained many trapped people. Landing with a thunderous BOOM approximately half way to the buildings, Doomsday turned and unleashed a deafening roar in Clark's direction before his attention seemed to be drawn to something near the buildings behind him.

The movement behind the creature also caught Clark's attention. It felt as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped onto Clark's back as a child ran down his spine, "OH NO!" the hero whispered, his voice dripping with fear.

---

The road was becoming more and more barren as Lois and Chloe approached the small town. Once they finally reached the town there were hardly any people on the street at all. In the distance Lois could see smoke billowing into the air. As they continued the source of the smoke became apparent. At the end of the deserted street were a number of over turned cars, some of which were engulfed in flames. Many of the buildings near the cars were in ruins as well. Lois continued down the street, but decided to turn off the siren and the flashing lights. "No need to draw any unwanted attention," she remarked to Chloe as she did so.

Chloe couldn't help but chuckle, "So says the girl that is driving headlong in the direction everyone else is running from," earning a smirk from Lois in response.

The two women did not speak again as they continued down the street toward the destroyed area. Lois had to weave in and out of some of the damage as the road began to become more and more congested with debris. They had just made it around a fiery overturned SUV in the middle of the street when they got their first glimpse of the open area they had scene on the newscast. Before they could go any farther, a loud BOOM caused the two to jump in their seats, Chloe letting a small squeal escape in the process. Lois slammed on the brakes bringing the ambulance to an abrupt stop, but it was too late. In the now visible clearing the massive bony creature from Chloe's wedding stood only a few hundred feet in front of them, and it was looking their way. "Oh Shit! Too close!" Lois exclaimed as she quickly threw the ambulance into reverse. However she had forgotten about the SUV around which she had just navigated. When she pressed hard onto the accelerator the ambulance dart back colliding with the fiery vehicle. The impact caused the upside down car to spin, effectively blocking the road and the only escape route the two frightened women had.

---

At first Oliver did not see the ambulance arriving at the edge of the clearing. It was not until the ambulance collided with the other vehicle that he realized someone new was there. He had just turned his attention in the direction of the collision when two women jumped from the ambulance and began running towards the remains of some destroyed buildings. Oliver immediately recognized the two women, "Lois?!" Oliver let out in an exasperated huff.

Unfortunately, the vehicles collision followed by the running women had very effectively gotten Doomsday's attention. He took one lurching step in their direction before Oliver reacted. He did not know what he was planning on doing, but he could not let the beast follow his friends. He of course was worried about their safety, but he was also concerned about the people trapped in the buildings the two women were now running towards. Running as fast as his weary legs would carry him Oliver made it to a position from which he could make a clean shot. He grabbed his last explosive arrow, and took a deep breath to draw his bow. He was not able to get his bow to full draw before firing the arrow, but he was able to send the arrow soaring through the air far enough to land at the monster's feet. The explosion accomplished its task. Although no real damage was done to the creature, the explosion did knock the creature back a few yards. It also drew the creature's attention away from the fleeing women.

Doomsday turned his attention to where the arrow had come from. At first the creature had a hard time finding Oliver due to its now blind right eye. However, Oliver was completely out in the open so it did not take long for Doomsday to spot him. The creature lunged in Oliver's direction, pulling its right arm back while in the air.

Oliver remained standing where he was, trying to prepare to fire another arrow at the beast. He had the arrow ready and tried to draw the bow to fire the arrow just as the beast was about to strike him, but it was no use. His ribs cried out worse than ever, causing his arms to again fall limp to his sides from the pain coursing through his chest.

---

Clark had climbed to his feet while watching as Oliver distracted Doomsday away from Lois. He had known instantly who was in the ambulance when it arrived. He had used his vision to see who was driving the vehicle even though somehow he already knew. When he had looked into the ambulance he had seen the fear in Lois' eyes when Doomsday had moved in their direction. That fear had given him the strength to climb to his feet. He still wavered as if he was standing on a boat at sea, but at least he was standing. Clark used the car next to him to stabilize himself as Doomsday began moving quickly in Oliver's direction. As soon as Clark realized that Oliver was not going to get out of the way in time he tried to speed to his friend's aid. The first few steps Clark felt as if his powers were gone, but steadily his speed grew.

The delay proved costly as Doomsday's right claw swept down striking Oliver hard to the left side. The impact sent the archer tumbling through the air. Clark being at less than his top speed forced him to arrive just seconds too late to stop the blow. The thud of Oliver landing in a heap nearly 50 feet away caused Clark's stomach to drop, feeling as if he had failed his friend. The friend that had refused to leave his side just minutes before.

Although he did not reach Doomsday in time to prevent the beast from getting to Oliver, he did reach the animal with a head full of steam. Using as much energy as he could summon, Clark threw his shoulder into the right side of creature. Clark drove the beast to the side with both he and Doomsday sliding to the ground. The force of the blow was enough to daze Doomsday, but it also dipped heavily into Clark's already low energy reserves. Both Clark and Doomsday lay on the ground heaving deep breaths trying to recover some of their strength.

---

Chloe and Lois watched helplessly as Oliver landed hard on the ground. The force of Doomsday's hit sent Oliver in their direction, ending up only 100 feet from them. Both Lois and Chloe moved in his direction while turning to keep an eye on the attacker. Lois did not see Clark approaching the beast but she did see the two of them sliding across the ground. Wordlessly she stopped and watched as Chloe continued to their injured friend before turning to look at Clark still lying on his back breathing very heavily.

"Get up...Get up Clark," Lois whispered to herself. But Clark did not move. Instead the bony behemoth lying a few yards from him began to stir. Lois' already racing heart felt as it were going to jump straight from her chest as she watched the creature climb to its feet. "Clark Kent stand up...come on..._PLEASE_ _STAND UP_!" again she pleaded, this time the volume of her cries increasing.

---

Clark could hear her voice, nothing more than a quiet whisper, begging for him to get up. And he wanted to, he really did. Even if it was just to take some of the fear that he heard in her voice away. However, he couldn't even lift his arms at his sides. To move a finger felt as if he were trying to move the earth. Again she cried for him to get up, this time much louder. He focused his strength on turning his head. Even to move enough just to look at her was unbearably difficult, but he had to see her. Finally his heavy head turned in her direction. He could see her staring at him, tears rolling down her cheek. Before he could make another move his view of Lois was gone. Between them Doomsday stirred and began to climb to his feet. Once standing the creature turned and slowly paced in his direction.

---

Lois' feeling of horror just kept growing as Doomsday slowly walked towards Clark's beaten body. The temporary reprieve she had experienced at seeing Clark turn and look at her was gone as he failed to move any further even when Doomsday was coming straight for him. The creature had obviously been affected from the battle as well. The right side of its face was covered in blood and it walked as if it were trying to protect an injury to its right side. The creatures pace was slow and with a slight limp. Lois turned to look at Chloe caring for the unconscious Oliver, knowing that neither her cousin nor the fallen hero would be able to help Clark now. She turned back to see Doomsday reach Clark's supine form and raise its massive hands above its head and then swiftly back down, hitting Clark square in the chest with a viscous blow. The hit caused Clark to cough loudly and gasp for air. Again the creature raised its bony arms and brought them crashing down on Clark. This time the blow hit Clark on the side of his face, eliciting a loud pain filled groan from Clark.

Lois could feel the tears streaming down her cheeks. She could not just stand there and watch this THING beat Clark to death. Finally her fear for Clark's life overcame her fear for her own as she dashed toward the creature. She stopped only once to grab a few small chunks of concrete. When the beast raised its arm once more Lois threw one of the rocks at Doomsday with all of her strength. The rubble hit the beast on the back of its left shoulder, but was not enough to distract it from its task at hand. The bony arm came crashing down striking Clark in the ribs yet again. This time Clark rolled onto his side gasping for air before letting his head fall heavily to the ground. Lois did not see any movement coming from his seemingly lifeless body. Enraged she threw another small piece of concrete, this time striking the beast in the side of its head.

This time the stone was successful in getting Doomsday's attention. The tall hulking figure turned to face Lois who stood defiantly in front of him. She refused to move until she was sure that the beast was now more interested in her than hurting Clark any further, "Come on you ugly son of a..."

When the creature finally took a step in her direction, Lois made her first move. She turned, and as fast as she could, ran for a series of overturned cars. Not really having a plan, other than lure the monster as far from Clark as she could, Lois ran for an area in which she thought she could elude the beast for as long as possible.

Doomsday only huffed when the woman in front of him began to run away. He began to follow her in long slow strides. Although his legs moved at a slower pace he was able to stay with the tall woman. Lois continued to run, climbing over and around the obstacles in her path, whereas Doomsday merely threw the objects in front of him out of the way. Lois was able to stay ahead of the beast for a few moments before coming to a dead-end. The road ahead of her was completely blocked by the remnants of a destroyed building as well as a couple overturned cars. The entire lot was on fire, preventing her from climbing into or over the rubble. She was trapped.

The path back to where Clark was lying was a straight shot and the monster had cleared the way as he pursued her. Looking back Lois could see Clark's motionless body lying in the dirt off in the distance. She was not even sure if he was still alive or not. The rage she had felt started to burnout, taking with hit her will to fight.

Doomsday knew its prey was trapped and slowed it approached the human. Lois looked the beast square in the eye. "Well Lois you've had a good run," she spoke to herself, trying to be brave in the face of death. However, the tears that sprung to her eyes betrayed her. She turned her gaze at Clark one last time, "Goodbye Smallville...I...I love you." Lois spoke the words in a hushed whisper, ready to have them be her last.


	8. Chapter 7

**Sorry it took me along, but here is chapter 7.**

**Chapter 7**

Clark felt a deep burning pain unlike any he had experienced before. It felt as if pure liquid kryptonite were being pumped through his veins. He could feel the warmth of his blood trickling from between his lips and rolling down the side of his face. He thought for a moment that this was what death must feel like. The pain twisted his stomach and leeched from him his desire to fight on, but then something happened. Her voice, yet again, pulled him back from the precipice. Although she was still speaking directly to him, she was no longer calling out for him to "get up". Unlike the last time he heard her, her voice was not filled with fear. Instead it contained defeat, love, and regret.

The first thing to cross Clark's mind was a hope that she would forgive him for leaving her. If he was dying he would never be able to tell her so many of the things that he wished he had. He too felt regret settling into his chest at the thought of never telling her how he truly felt. She had been left behind so many times in the past, and he hated to be the latest to leave her, but if she was able to say goodbye as she watched him slowly fade, then he should at least do the same for her before he gave in to the darkness. Slowly he forced open his eyes, expecting to see Lois looking on as he took his last breaths. However, when the blurriness from the blood and sweat in his eyes faded enough that Clark could make out the scene in front of him; he realized that Lois was no longer standing where she had been just moments ago. It took a few more seconds for Clark to locate her, standing much further away than he had anticipated. Her back was towards a burning wall of debris and rubble, and in front of her stood Doomsday.

The cold reality filled Clark as he watched the creature walk towards Lois. The defeat he had heard in her voice was reflected in her posture with her shoulders and head hanging slightly, although she did not show any fear as the beast moved ever closer. Clark realized that she had not been saying goodbye as she watched him die; instead she had been preparing to die herself. Clark felt a rush of emotions flow through him; fear, love, and a burning rage. He could not let her die, not while a single breath was left in his body. Clark dug deep within himself, in the process finding the last of his energy reserves, energy he, until that very instant, did not know he had. Despite shaking with effort, he forced himself onto his stomach...then to his knees...and finally to his feet. Each move he made caused him to cry out as the pain in his body intensified. Once standing, Clark staggered in Lois' direction, praying his body would respond. However, just as they had when he had tried to protect Oliver, Clark's legs began to fail him. Panic squeezed Clark's chest when he realized that at this rate he would never reach her in time. He watched as Doomsday raised its massive arms above its head and began to swing them downward toward Lois. The tall woman stood bravely in front of the beast, only closing her eyes to avoid watching her approaching death.

Everything slowed down for Clark at that moment, despair filling him. He could not fail again, he could not fail HER. He pushed himself harder, willing his legs to move more quickly, and ever so slightly he felt his speed increasing. Faster and faster he went, but he was certain it would not be enough to reach her in time. Faster...He needed to go faster. His speed continued to increase as the beast's bone crushing claws continued in their descent. He knew that even if he could run as fast as he ever had he would never make it in time, but that only made him push harder. He did not know how he would save her; he just knew that he HAD to. Finally his body seemed to be cooperating as his speed began to increase at a tremendous rate; faster and faster until he was moving much more quickly than he had ever run before. That was when he realized that he wasn't running at all. In his desperation to reach Lois his hands were now extended out in front of him. The legs that had felt so heavy when he began running in her direction, were stretched out behind him, his feet gliding above the ground. He was flying.

---

Lois could not bear to watch as the creature raised it arms above its hideous head. She tried to stand tall but closed her eyes and thought of seeing her mother again, the thought seemed to give her peace in the face of death. She had been certain that her final seconds were upon her when a sudden rush of wind whipped past her, followed by a loud crashing sound just off to her right.

The force of the wind was enough to push her backwards a few steps, nearly knocking her from her feet. Lois slowly opened her eyes, instantly seeing that the monster was no longer standing in front of her. She turned to her right, quickly searching for what had made the crash. To her surprise the creature was wrestling with someone amongst the debris. The wind that had nearly knocked her over had also extinguished many of the flames in the rubble giving Lois a clear view of the struggle.

"Clark!" She had no idea how, but Clark was now grappling with the beast struggling for a hold on the creature. The monster was much larger than the he was, which provided an advantage, but Clark seemed to be fighting with a new determination. Any time Doomsday would appear close to freeing itself of Clark's grasp, Clark would unleash a devastating blow to the creature's ribcage. The strength of the blows was enough to send loud cracks and snaps into the air as the bony armor gave way under his fists. With the beast howling in pain Clark was finally able to lock his fingers into the beast's bony armor at the back of the creature's ribs where his punches had created a small crevice.

Quickly Clark bent his knees and kicked hard off of the ground as if he were jumping into the air, only he did not come back down. As quickly as Clark had arrived at her side, he was now gone and he had taken the monster with him. The only thing left was a cloud of dust and a quickly shrinking speck in the sky.

---

Clark had made it to Doomsday just in time, his outstretched fists striking the beast in its already injured side. Clark's momentum had pushed the two of them into the burning remains of the buildings to Lois' right. Although he was not sure where the idea had come from, Clark immediately knew what he had to do. If the battle with Doomsday continued on, he was sure he would fail. Even though Clark wanted very much to live, it was not his own death that worried him. He knew that if he fell to Doomsday there would be no one left that could stop the creature, no one left to protect the people of earth, no one left to protect Lois. He needed to end this once and for all. He pulled his arm back and tightened his hand into a fist. Time and time again he struck the creature's armor until a small crack allowed him to finally get a hold on the beast's bony chest plate. Using what was left of the energy he had found, as well as his new ability, Clark leapt into the air. He continued to fly higher until the air began to thin around them. Doomsday struggled mightily the entire time, but Clark's hold was solid and his determination unstoppable. They climbed until Clark felt the earth falling away from beneath them completely. As they climbed a few rays of sunshine began to peak over the curve of the earth, Clark tried to absorb as much of the light as he could.

Turning both himself and Doomsday in the sun's direction, Clark gathered the last of the strength he had left and heaved the creature toward the yellow orb. The lack of air in space silenced any sound the beast may have let go as he flew helplessly toward his demise.

Clark felt his head swim, as blackness crept into the edges of his vision. He knew that staying in the sunlight was what would heal his body, but he could feel himself loosing consciousness. The small amount of sunlight he had absorbed, though mildly rejuvenating, was not enough to completely recharge him. If he climbed any higher he would completely escape the earth's atmosphere, where he would suffocate if he completely blacked out. Feeling as if he would not be awake long, Clark turned back toward where he had left Lois. He only made it about half way when the darkness overwhelmed him, causing his body go limp. As he lost consciousness he fell towards the earth's surface, continuing his trajectory towards the small lake town where the battle had taken place.

---

Lois knelt on the ground staring into the sky. It felt as if he had been gone for hours instead of the few minute that had actually passed. Somewhere along the line she had fallen to her knees. The hard pavement cut into her legs, yet she could not move or even look away from where she had seen him last.

Chloe, who had approached when she saw Lois kneeling on the ground, softly placed a hand on her cousin's shoulder, "Lois, we should get out of here. You know that the press will be here any minute now, and they will be asking a lot of questions that we can't answer."

"No Chloe! We have to wait for Clark to get back," Lois didn't lower her gaze as she spoke.

"I am sure that Clark is fine. He will probably meet us as the hospital," Chloe said, although she did not sound particularly convinced herself.

Lois finally looked into her cousin's eyes, "Chloe he was hurt pretty bad when he left, he may need our help. I have to be sure..." Lois looked back to the sky but any words faded as her breath caught in her throat. High in the sky above them a small dark speck came into view. With every second the speck seemed to pick up speed. Lois' heart raced in hopes that it was Clark returning. With a speed that no jet Lois had ever seen, the speck streaked through the sky over their heads, over shooting the large open area. Lois' heart went from racing to what felt like a dead stop in her chest in a single instance. Despite the incredible speed with which the speck had passed by, Lois knew that the speck had been Clark, but unlike when he had leapt into the air minutes before, he was not smoothly cutting through the air. This time he was tumbling flaccidly as he sped towards the earth. Clark's flight ended in a massive splash into the cold icy lake sending water flying high into the air, the sound of the impact sent a horrified chill through Lois.

With a speed that only Bart or Clark could have matched Lois was on her feet and running towards the lake with Chloe doing her best to keep up with her. She made it across the opening and to the shore of the lake in no time at all. She only paused a moment when she reached the water's edge. After looking around for any sign of movement, Lois began to wade into the freezing water. She made it to waist depth before two strong metallic hands grabbed her from behind.

Victor, who had come running after seeing the two women take off toward the lake, pulled her from the water despite her protests, "Lois you will freeze to death!"

"He is here! He needs our help!" Lois' kicking and screaming continued as she tried to free herself from Victor's strong grip. "Let me GO! I have to help him!"

Chloe, who had finally caught up, grabbed Lois' arms and held them in place, "You can't help anyone by killing yourself in this lake!"

Finally realization set in for Lois. When her arms and legs went lax, Victor carefully released her from his grip. With her legs unable to hold her any longer, Lois fell to her knees, staring out at the water. "Please God let him be okay," the soft prayer came out as nothing more than a whisper.

For a few minutes all three quietly looked out at the water's surface. Chloe's heart sank as she watched and waited for any sign of her oldest friend. While Victor, typed frantically on the keypad on his arm trying to hack into some government satellites to use their thermal imaging to search the area. The only sound came from Lois' chattering teeth as she sat shivering due to the cold water that soaked her clothing.

Chloe was the first to see the small cluster of bubbles that rushed to the surface of the water. Lois felt her move to the water's edge and followed her gaze to find what she had seen. A second burst of bubbles rushed to the surface. This time Lois and Victor saw them as well. Instantly her heart hammered in her chest as she climbed to her feet. Only seconds later the water where the trio had scene the bubbles rushed up as a tuft of hair broke the surface of dark water, followed by a man's head. However, it was not the face they had been expecting to see. Blond tufts of hair and tanned skin provided a stark contrast to the dark water surrounding him. A.C.'s face strained slightly as he ascended toward the shore. Once the water level fell below his shoulders the three standing on shore saw that he was straining as a result of carrying something. When he was about 20 feet from the shore he was far enough out of the water that they could see that it was someone not something that he was carrying. This time there was no doubt who it was. They could plainly see Clark's head bobbing limply as A.C. waded closer to the shore. As soon as Lois saw Clark in A.C.'s arms she dashed back into the water. Upon reaching A.C. and Clark she supported Clark's head between her hands. His skin felt as cold under her fingers as the icy water of the lake. She walked along side A.C. carefully holding Clark's head until they reached the shore where A.C. gently laid Clark down. Victor checked Clark for any signs of life, when he found that Clark was not breathing he and A.C. began CPR. A.C. contributed by blowing two deep breaths into Clark's lungs, followed by Victor beginning chest compressions. However, pushing on Clark's chest was like pushing on solid steel. In an act of desperation Victor raised a fist over Clark's chest and struck him hard on the sternum. They watched quietly as Clark's condition remained unchanged. Again A.C. breathed for Clark and Victor struck him hard on the chest. This time Clark coughed and gasped for air immediately following the strike. A.C. quickly turned him onto his side to let him cough the water from his lungs while everyone else breathed a sigh of relief.

Lois, who had been holding her breath the entire time, broke into tears of joy as she watched Clark's chest rise and fall. It did not take her long to push her way past A.C. and Victor to get to Clark's side. First she placed a hand on his chest as if to reassure herself that he really was breathing, then she placed her other hand on his cheek. Some of the warmth had already seemed to return to his skin.

Lois' tender touch to his cheek was enough to cause Clark to open his eyes. For the second time that day the first thing Clark saw upon doing so was Lois' beaming smile.

When Lois saw the corners of Clark's lips curve into a small grin of his own a wave of relief washed away the last remaining tension she had been caring, "You know Smallville, if this is how you think this relationship is going to go you have another thing coming."

Clark's small grin erupted into a full blown smile at hearing Lois talk about their "relationship." "And here I thought dating Lois Lane would be a walk in the park," he laughed through a cough as he sat up.

"Ha Ha...Very Funny, now why don't you save your breath unless you want A.C. to do another lip lock on you," Lois winked.

Chloe and Victor turned their attention to the other member of the Justice League at Lois' comment. "So what happened? Are you alright?" Chloe inquired.

"I am not really sure what happened," A.C. shrugged. "The last thing I remember was fighting with Doomsday and him tossing me into the lake, then nothing. The next thing I remember was the sound of something hitting the water really hard. The shock wave must have woken me up. When I came to I decided to check it out and there was the Boy scout."

"First of all," Lois interrupted, "Boy scout?" she asked casting an evil grin towards Clark, who rolled his eyes in response. "Second," she continued as she turned her attention back to A.C., "We saw you before you were thrown into the water. You looked like hell, but now you don't have a scratch on you."

"Um...well...You know how the sun helps Clark?" A.C. started to explain. "Well that is kind of what water does for me." Lois would have probably pushed a little further under normal circumstances, but to say that she was already overwhelmed from everything that had happened that day was an understatement of epic proportions, so she merely nodded and filed the remainder of her questions away for another time.

A.C. looked across the open area before looking back to Clark, "So what happened up here?"

Clark's smile faded as he turned to answer his friend, "Doomsday is gone for good." The serious tone in his short response let everyone know that he was not up for any further explanation at the moment.

"How is everyone else?" A.C. asked hesitantly.

"When Clark took off with Doomsday I sent Oliver, Bart, and Dinah along with some of the injured townspeople back to the hospital. Bart and Dinah were doing well, although still unconscious. Oliver...Oliver was a little worse off. I gave the paramedics explicit instructions to get him straight to the Doc once back at the hospital, but I haven't heard anything yet."

The memory of their injured friends further dampened the mood, "We should get back there," Clark said as he climbed to his feet with Lois' help. Everyone else quietly nodded in agreement.

Even though Clark seemed to be able to stand comfortably once on his feet, Lois made sure to keep one arm wrapped tightly around his waist the entire walk back toward the buildings. When they reached the other side of the clearing Clark turned and looked back one last time.

Lois watched wordlessly as Clark just stared at the toppled buildings around them. Finally she squeezed him a little tighter with the arm she had wrapped around him, drawing his attention back down to her. "I know what you are thinking, and there was nothing else you could have done." Clark's gaze dropped from her eyes for a moment, "Hey, look at me," she said to regain eye contact, "You saved so many people today including me. I don't think I will ever be able to tell you how grateful and proud of you I am." Lois leaned up, pressing her lips tenderly against his. When she pulled away Clark's lips curled into a small smile, "Now, let's get out of here. In case you haven't noticed it is frickin' freezing out here."

**A/N: sorry it took me so long, but to be completely honest I have had a horrible time trying to do this chapter. I still don't think it flows well, but it is as good as I can get it right now. There will be a short epilogue soon. Hope you have liked my story. I would be happy to hear any suggestions you have, and I would really love any reviews.**


	9. Epilogue

A/N: So I checked my email, and was kind of disappointed that no one had commented on the completion of the story. Then I realized that I had uploaded it but never added it to the story. Sorry, my bad. Thank you everyone that read my story and left me comments. Thanks also to those who just read it, even though I would have loved to have heard what you thought. I don't think that I am going to continue this storyline so if someone else wants to, go right ahead. Thanks again.

Oh yeah, I don't own any of the characters or Whitesnake's _Here I Go Again _

________________________________________________________________  
**Epilogue**

_An' Here I go again on my own__  
__Goin' down the only road I've ever known__  
__Like a drifter I was born to walk alone__  
__An' I've made up my mind__  
__I ain't wastin' no more time__  
_

A woman's hand haphazardly felt around the floor next to a blue waiting room chair in search of the ringing cell phone. Upon finding the phone the woman flipped her messed hair out of her face and answered the phone without bothering to check the caller ID.

"Hello?" the woman's voice cracked betraying the fact that she had been sleeping only seconds before.

Although she had merely answered the phone to end the noise that had woken her, she instantly sat up fully awake upon realizing who was on the other end of the line.

"No...Yes, I am in Canada...Jimmy was doing well and...I got a tip..." Lois relaxed slightly as the tirade coming from the other end of the line suddenly softened. "Yes, that is exactly what I am saying. Clark is here too. We got the entire story." Lois paused a few seconds while the person spoke on the other end of the line before finishing the call, "You will have the story in time for the late addition."

Upon hanging up Lois turned and looked at Clark. He had been sitting in the chair next to her, watching the news coverage of the battle and acting as Lois' pillow. "I am guessing that was the planet," Clark said as he sat up a little taller in his chair.

"Yeah it was. Apparently one of the news broadcasts showed some surveillance footage of Chloe and I _borrowing_ that ambulance, and someone at the planet saw it. That new editor Perry was pretty angry until I told him we got the story."

"Actually I saw that coverage too, but don't worry. I mentioned it to Victor and Chloe. Between the two of them any evidence of your grand theft auto is long gone," Clark smiled.

"Man I could have used friends like that in high school, remind me to thank them later," Lois chuckled, "Oh and speaking of video in need of editing...You haven't seen anything so far that would give you away, have you?"

"No, So far there hasn't been anything that could identify any of us, just a lot of crack pots trying to get their 15 seconds," Clark nodded in the direction of the television. On the screen was a man describing in detail how he had been abducted by aliens. He went on to say that he had seen first hand that the creature that had attacked the town was actually their pet, and that they had let the beast out on Earth's surface for their own enjoyment. "How can anyone believe this stuff?" Clark asked.

"Actually, there are probably more than a few people out there that have no idea what to believe, and his story makes about as much sense as anything any one else has told them," Lois shrugged before a mischievous grin took over her face. "You know, it would be a shame to have all those people go jumping to the wrong conclusion because no one gave them anything credible to believe."

The change in her grin did not go unnoticed by Clark. Although his trust in Lois never wavered, he felt a ball of nervousness grow in his stomach. He had seen that grin before and it had never ended well. "And what exactly would you suggest we tell them?" he asked cautiously.

"You know the saying Clark...The truth shall set you free."

Clark's jaw dropped as his eyes went wide causing Lois to roll her eyes and smack him in the shoulder. "Thanks for the trust Smallville," she shook her head. "I didn't mean that we have to tell them everything about you. Besides, I have no intention of outing my new boyfriend as E.T. to the entire world."

Clark's smile returned as he shook his head in response. He was still amazed at how well she had managed to adjust to everything she had learned over the past few days, especially their conversation once they returned to the hospital.

~~~~~~~~~~~~Flashback complete with wavy lines~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Seriously Clark, you don't have to explain anything to me until you're ready to," Lois stated, although she refused to make eye contact as she did so.

Clark reached over and placed a finger on her chin, pulling her gaze to meet his, "You are telling me that after all that has happened, you don't have any questions you want me to answer."

"Are you kidding me?" Lois' voice doubled in volume. "I have a million questions! BUT..." She took a deep breath, "I am not going to push you into something you aren't ready to do."

Clark smiled and sighed, "That is one of the biggest reasons I want to tell you everything."

At this, Lois visibly relaxed, "Oh thank God." Her reaction forced a laugh from Clark, who had known it had to have been extremely hard for Lois to hold back on her questions.

"Alright, alright," he began when he noticed Lois' growing impatience at being laughed at, "but some of what I am about to tell you may be hard to believe."

"Clark...I just watched you fight a ten foot tall, bony monster that not even Joss Whedon could have dreamed up, witnessed you move so fast that I couldn't even see you, and, last but not least, watched you FLY! I think that _hard to believe _is both the theme of the day as well as the understatement of the decade."

"Good point..." Clark shrugged.

The remainder of the conversation consisted of Clark telling her that he was in fact The Blur, about his origins, what all powers he had (only a few of which she had witnessed that day), and his connection with Doomsday. At first Lois did not respond, taking a minute to assimilate all the information she had just received. Her silence made Clark very nervous. Then, like the bursting of a damn, the questions began. How had he, the world's worst liar, been able to keep this secret so long? Who else knows, and by who else knows? How often does he _USE_ that x-ray vision of his? You didn't seriously learn how to fly today did you? ... and on they went for the next ten minutes straight. Clark just stood, quietly listening to her, knowing that this was more of a release for her than actually demanding answers. He had no doubt that she was going to want each and every one of the questions answered eventually, but he was sure that not all of the topics would be breached that night. He did take a subtle step closer to her so that he would be able to catch her if the lack of breathing became too much for her. Finally one of the millions thoughts running through Lois' mind seemed to stick. She stopped pacing and turned to look at Clark. "I know that the you, aka THE BLUR," Lois made quotation marks in the air with her hands, "has saved me a few times in the past, but how many times have you saved me without me even knowing?"

Clark looked at the floor for a second, "I don't know...You do have a talent for getting yourself in trou..." His words were muffled as Lois suddenly closed the distance between them and pressed her lips hard against his. A few moments later, when Lois pulled away from the kiss, without removing her arms from around Clark's neck, he smiled. "I guess this means that you are not afraid of me or that you don't see me any differently."

"Oh no...I see you very differently." Lois shook her head as she tilted her head up at him. "Clark you have the power to do whatever you want whenever you want, and instead of using that for your own personal gain you go around helping people without ever taking any credit or even letting them know someone had been there. You are incredible." Then, without warning, she punched him hard in the shoulder, "That is for trying to make me think that you were nothing more than mild mannered dork."

This actually made Clark chuckle, "Um...I'm sorry?!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~End Flashback~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"All I am saying is people are going to be freaking out now that they realize what kind of evils are truly out there, and right now people don't even know who it was that rescued them or if they can be trusted. Instead of being one of the many things they are afraid of, you should be someone who gives them hope."

"But how do I do that without giving up any chance I have at a normal life?"

"Take a page from green bean over there," Lois pointed her thumb at Oliver who was resting comfortably in the hospital bed behind them. When Clark didn't respond Lois continued, "It is called a secret identity Clark. Seriously, how did you make it this long without me?"

Clark again shook his head and smiled, "You mean do it as The Blur?"

"After what the world saw today, I am pretty sure that the name "The Blur" is not going to cut it anymore," Lois scoffed. "Don't worry though, I know just the reporter to come up with something more fitting." Lois gave him that same mischievous grin, followed quickly by another passionate kiss, effectively ending any argument Clark may have offered.

THE END

* * *

Sorry I didn't go into depth but, Oliver (as well as the rest of the Justice League) is okay and in the hospital recovering. Couldn't kill him off since they didn't drag out the love triangle with Lois and Clark in the real show like I feared they would, besides he is a pretty bad ass character. Thanks again for the amazing comments and support. You really made this so much fun.


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